Ocean Eyes
by Miss Faber
Summary: Two complete opposites with a love so fierce, they almost don't know what do do with it. Novel length, Zutara AU! Previously titled "Fire and Rain".
1. Sometime Around Midnight

_A/N: _This story has been published before, under the title of Fire and Rain. When I decided to repost it after heavy editing, I decided that Ocean Eyes was much more fitting.

That said, this is a Zutara AU novel length story. There's lots of other pairings too, but Zutara is the main one.

Please review! It is nearly impossible to write on this site without some sort of feedback. Reviews are motivation to write these stories and to update them more quickly! So enjoy, and review :)

* * *

**Chapter 1**

**Sometime Around Midnight**

One hardly expects to meet the love of their live in a near death experience. But, then again, some cynics don't believe in love at all.

This event- the near death experience- took place on a warm evening in April, as a lone girl crossed a seemingly empty street. She and her best friend had just undergone one of those foolish, childish, completely ridiculous adventures that become the stuff of slumber party legends. She still felt its aftermath; a sort of giddiness that filled her very limbs with warmth. And although she was a half hour past curfew and her brother would surely kill her, the girl hummed along with the rhythm that pounded through her earphones- the night was warm and beautiful and starry, everything the poets wrote about, and it was entirely worth it.

That was when the car entered the picture, skidding past the stop sign and racing on with a furious speed that could only match the boiling in the driver's veins. He was a young man with a pale, elegant face, though he couldn't be called beautiful; not for quite a few years, and certainly not with the scowl that currently twisted his features.

Neither spotted the other; not for a few blissfully ignorant seconds. She took a step, thinking about fate, while he pressed on the gas, thinking of redemption. Their thoughts couldn't have been more wildly different; and neither could they. They were complete opposites; she was kind, he was sulky, she was compassionate, and he tried not to be. If the cynical, rational world of commonalities and simple expectations was to have its way at all, then they wouldn't have even met, let alone fallen in love.

But at the core, they were the same. And that is, perhaps, what matters most of all.

The car drove onwards, and the boy didn't see the girl until it was a second too late.

* * *

_[ An hour earlier ]_

"Katara, why're you running?"

"I'm an hour late for dinner." Katara flipped open her phone, as though daring her phone to contradict her. It didn't. "Sokka will kill me."

"Forget him for a second, and_ listen to what I'm saying_."

Katara huffed. "Fine."

"Alright." Toph resumed her speech. "So, like I told you, this hardly happens to me... I mean, me, crushing on a _guy_? Please! Hell would sooner freeze over."

"Right."

"And forget the fact that college has turned him into a complete hunk, I'm acting like such a _girl_..."

Katara rolled her eyes. "Well, considering the fact that you _are_ one, I'm not surprised."

At that moment, Toph presented her proposal; and if she hadn't, this story would have turned out quite differently.

"Come have dinner with me."

Katara huffed; a short, exasperated sound. "I told you I'm late."

"Not if you're having dinner out," Toph insisted. "Just call Sokka and tell him you're picking up some pizza and that you won't be out a second past curfew."

Katara opened her mouth to protest again, but Toph's expression stopped her. Instead, she flipped open her phone and dialed her brother's number. "The things I do for you," she muttered, as Toph clapped her hands together in a mixture of delight and victory.

A few minutes later, Katara presented Toph with the verdict. "He reluctantly agreed."

"Yes!" Toph pumped her fist in the air. "Okay, so I know this café where he's been hanging out all week-"

"_Wait_." Katara turned to her friend. "You've been following this guy?"

"Not me," Toph corrected, her voice tinged with impatience. "I don't have time, with practice every day after school. Yue's been doing the research for me."

"You guys are so…."

"Resourceful?"

"More like stalkers," Katara said.

"Whatever." Toph waved a hand dismissively. "Anyway, there's this café that's more on the tea side than the coffee side, if you know what I mean, and he hangs out there a lot. We'll go there now and see if we can catch him."

"Whatever you say, your majesty."

"Don't be cute." Toph turned her face up to the darkening sky. "This feels really good. I mean, nothing's even happened yet, and it feels good."

Katara softened. "Well, I'm glad."

"Yeah. He has a bunch of gorgeous friends, too. I wish I remembered their names… they only graduated last year."

A short walk later, the two girls stood in front of the café.

"The Jasmine Dragon." Katara read the name of the café aloud. "How… oriental."

"Whatever." Toph's eyes were trained on one person, and one person only. "Do you see him?"

"No." There were a multitude of faces beyond the glass wall, bowed over books and steaming mugs. "Which one is he?"

"The one in the corner table… black hair… come on, don't you remember what Haru looks like?"

"No," Katara replied honestly. She didn't know anyone from their high school's last graduating class, excepting her brother and his girlfriend. Besides, there were four boys seated on the corner table, and all of them had dark hair.

"Let's go in," Toph suggested. "Then I'll show you which one he is."

The two girls settled themselves in at a table across from the one where the boys sat. A smiling old man handed them a menu, and Toph took it without shifting her eyes from the corner table.

"Oh, he's so cute," she crooned.

Katara lowered her menu. "You're scaring me."

Toph rolled her eyes. "Just read the menu and get me something good, Sugar Queen."

Katara set her menu on the table with a definitive smack. "How about _you _read the menu and order something for us, so_ I_ can finally get a look at this guy without both of us looking like a pair of insane stalkers?"

Toph picked up her menu with a huff. "Hurry."

Katara did.

She conducted a quick, expert examination. One boy sat at the end of the table, leaning back in his chair comfortably and listening to the story another one of them was telling. He had long, straight black hair that was tucked behind his ears, tanned skin, and sparkling green eyes.

Beside him sat another boy who was listening; but unlike the first boy, it seemed as though his mouth was too occupied chewing on a piece of what looked like wheat. He was tan, with dark hair that went in a million directions. His arms were crossed over his chest as he listened nonchalantly to his friend's story, his dark brown eyes twinkling mischievously and a smirk playing around his lips.

The third was the one telling the story. He was smaller than the rest of them, and appeared younger too. He had hazel eyes and dark hair. As he talked, his hands flipped around animatedly. He looked somewhat familiar.

The fourth one was the biggest; with raven hair cropped short and thick sideburns. He was pale, with a long nose and honey eyes, extremely broad in the shoulders and chest.

"Which one is he?" Katara asked.

"Green eyes," replied Toph, without looking up from her menu.

Katara nodded, a smile playing around her lips. "Nice."

A few minutes later, Katara had an iced coffee before her, while Toph sipped from a caramel macchiato. "So," Katara asked. "What's the plan?"

Toph shrugged. "Stare and covet?"

"No way." Acting on sheer impulse, Katara picked up her purse and began to dig around it. "Here, take my wallet."

Toph took it, brows raised skeptically. "Okay…."

"Do you have any lip gloss?"

"You know I don't."

"Alright, mine'll have to do." Katara raised the small glass of water before her and stood. "Watch and learn."

Katara stood, purse in one hand and water in the other, as she casually made her way to the counter at the head of the room. The boys' table was right next to it- and the boy with the green eyes was sitting at the edge, she was pleased to notice. And so, with a cry of surprise and a calculated tip of her hand, Katara tripped on her own feet, spilling her water on the green eyed boy and simultaneously sliding her purse underneath his chair.

"Oh my god, I am so sorry!" Katara straightened, using the back of the chair as an anchor. "I'm sorry, I'm so clumsy…."

"It's… it's okay." The green eyed boy stood and smiled at her, and his smile was genuine. "It's just water."

"I sincerely apologize." Katara batted her eyelashes and smiled as sheepishly as she could. "I really hope you can get that out."

"It's water, don't worry about it." He reached out a hand. "Are you okay, though?"

"Yeah! Yeah, fine, I don't know what I just tripped over…" She trailed off, her eyes falling to the floor, as though searching for an answer to her question. Then she snapped her gaze back to him. "In any case, I should be leaving. Toph? You all done?"

She called out the last, and Toph stood, the lower half of her face somewhat contorted due to her efforts not to burst out laughing. "Yeah. Yup. All done."

"Great." Katara turned a full smile in the green eyed boy's direction. "Again, I'm sorry, but I really should be going…."

"Sure," the boy said easily. With a final half wave, Katara crossed the distance to her friend and looped her arm through hers, dragging her to the door of the café.

Once they were a reasonable distance from the café, the girls stopped walking and burst into peals of laughter.

"That… was… oh my god," Top managed to enunciate.

"I know," Katara wiped tears from the corners of her eyes. "I haven't done something that stupid since we were trying to get Han's attention back in eighth grade."

"_Stupid_?" Toph threw up her hands. "It was brilliant! You left your school I.D. in the purse, didn't you?"

"You know me too well," Katara grinned. "School I.D., lip gloss, gum, a notepad, and a few pens… nothing irreplaceable, but enough for him to want to return the purse, _if _he's a decent guy, and enough to let him know where to find me."

"Nice." Toph mirrored the grin. "I am not leaving your side tomorrow. Let's hope he shows up."

"Yeah… hey, hand over my wallet."

Toph did. "Going somewhere?"

"_Home_. I'm not past curfew yet, but it's a bit of a walk…"

"I'll walk you." When Katara began to shake her head in protest, Toph looped her arm through her friend's. "I _insist_. I owe you after what you did today."

"But your house is so close to here… it would be completely insane to walk to my house and back."

"Not as insane as spilling water on random hot guys."

"Fine," Katara said, after her laughter had subsided. "Compromise. Walk me to the end of the street, how's that?"

"Hey! I'm trying to return the favor here!"

"It's a long street…."

"Fine," Toph huffed.

It was a long street. Nearly ten minutes later, the girls stood at the end of it. They exchanged brief hugs of farewell before parting ways.

As she walked, Katara popped her headphones into her ears, then began the heady task of selecting a playlist. Eventually, she selected playlist Number Seven. It was a playlist Number Seven night; a night for La Rocca, The Veils, The Airborne Toxic Event, shot through with traces of Travis and The Smiths.

Katara navigated a few streets, humming along with the woes of Bjorn Baillie and Mikel Jollett, and that was when it happened.

The car seemingly came from nowhere. One second, she was alone on the quiet street, and a second later it was blinding her, and she was a deer frozen in the headlights. She didn't move; she would remember that later, the ice that had suddenly taken residence in her veins and frozen her limbs. But the car did move, and if it hadn't, there wouldn't be a story to tell.

The car swerved to the side with a loud skid of the brakes, then stopped. Katara watched it for a second, shell-shocked; then furiously pulled her earphones out of her ear, only to press a hand to her chest as though to still her beating heart.

"What the hell is _wrong_ with you?!"

The driver was climbing out of his car- it was a _he_, she saw, a man dressed almost completely in black climbing out of the car. Hints of music followed him, drifting out of the open door.

His back was turned to her for a second; he seemed to be examining the front of his car. A fresh wave of rage rose within Katara's chest. "Your _car_ is fine. You did almost _hit_ a _person_, though."

Finally, he faced her. Katara drew in a breath. He was handsome; she noticed that, even with her heart pounding, even with the scar. Extremely pale with angular features, the man's black hair fell over his eyes in a messy mop. In the dubious lighting, she couldn't tell what color his eyes were. But they glowed. And then, there was the scar.

It was a hideous, red thing- that was the first impression. It ate up half his face, one of his eyes peeking out tentatively from beneath a ruined lid. He had no left eyebrow. This struck Katara as strangely amusing.

"I'm… sorry." She realized he was speaking, and quickly lowered her eyes; it was rude to stare. But then she lifted his eyes to him again, because he was speaking to her, and because he'd just almost hit her and he didn't deserve that kind of courtesy anyway.

He was dragging a hand through his messy hair, shuffling his feet. "But you're… you're okay, right? Not hurt?"

Katara swallowed and forced her throat to work. "Fine. I'm fine. Just… drive slowly."

His eyes roved over her. "I'm not going to be taking driving advice from a preteen."

Her eyes hardened. "This is a residential street, and you were driving at fucking fifty."

"Alright." He raised his hands, palm forwards; a mock gesture of surrender. "I'll drive… slower."

She wanted to argue, to maybe hear him apologize again, to get _something _out of him- but she was suddenly very tired, and she wanted nothing more than to collapse on her bed.

"See that you do." Turning on her heel abruptly, Katara took a few broad steps forward, eager to get away from the boy and the car and the entire situation as quickly as she could, eager to return to the dregs of the wonderful feeling she'd felt before _he_ came along.

She stopped as she was passing the door of his car, still open. At this proximity, the music drifting from it was clear. "The Airborne Toxic Event."

"What?"

Katara turned around slowly, as though in a daze. "You're listening to the same song I was. Before you almost hit me."

"Really?" His tone was full of a skepticism that disgusted her. In response, she pulled the earphones from the earphone jack in her phone. The lyrics spilled out of the car, out of the phone's weak speakers, then from her lips.

"_And the band plays some song about forgetting yourself for a while…_" For some reason, some reason she could never rationalize, she laughed.

The grin took over his face slowly. One corner of his mouth quirked upwards, almost indecisively, then he unleashed the full thing; a tentative display of teeth that looked as though it could use quite a bit of practice. To her surprise, he joined in. "_And the piano's this melancholy sound check-_"

"_To her smile_." Katara couldn't recall the last time she'd smiled so hard that it felt as though her face would crack.

"_And that white dress she's wearing…_" He had the wrong voice for singing; it was low and husky, more of a rasp than a normal tone. Utterly distinctive, she thought- a backup singer to Finn Andrews, perhaps. He moved closer. "_You haven't seen her for a while_."

"Wow." Katara was surprised to find herself a little short of breath. "How often does that happen?"

"Nearly being hit by some dork who happens to be playing the same music you are? Which is an excellent indication of your good taste, by the way…"

"Yeah," she laughed.

"Not often." He was smiling, too. "Unless you're about to ask me for a whole lot of money, which means you could be making a career out of this…"

"No," she assured him, still smiling.

"I didn't think so." His hand returned to mussing his hair. "Can I, ah, take you someplace?"

Katara raised a brow quizzically.

"Oh, you know, take you home?" He shrugged, and it struck Katara that his manner was rather sheepish. Though he looked older than she was, and though he was witty when he wasn't thinking about it, he could be incredibly awkward. "As you can see, it could be dangerous… walking…"

"Haha. Well, I think I'll take my chances."

His face fell, but he didn't argue. Instead, he nodded. "Okay. Be careful."

"You too. Don't run anybody over."

"If they're all like you, I don't think I'll be taking that advice." With that parting line, he climbed back into his car, and with one last glance over his shoulder, the car began to move down the street.

Katara was nearly upon her house when she realized that she hadn't learned his name.

* * *

_A/N_: Review!


	2. Gasoline

**Chapter 2: Gasoline**

_A/N: _This chapter is dedicated to rivkah, my first reviewer! And sincere thanks to everyone who reviewed- every single review made my day.

* * *

Katara slumped onto the cafeteria table, absolutely exhausted from the long run Toph had put her through. She watched enviously as Toph slid onto her seat with something almost resembling _grace_, as though a four mile sprint took no toll on her muscles.

"I hate you, you know that?"

Toph shrugged, opening her bag and digging in it for money. "I'm getting something to eat from that vending machine. Want something?"

"Yeah, a Coke," she grumbled. She pushed back her hair, still damp from her shower, as she watched her friend pull a plastic bag of something from the machine before grabbing a Coke for Katara and walking back.

"Do you think Suki is coming to the game tomorrow?" Katara asked her friend when she returned, catching the can Toph slid to her.

"Why would I know? She's your brother's girlfriend," Toph answered, popping her Mountain Dew can open with a slow _hiss_.

"Sokka won't come if Suki doesn't, and I really want him to come." The words had just left Katara's mouth when their third friend joined them. "Yue!"

"Hey," she greeted them with a pearly white smile. Yue sat down beside Katara and hugged her, then outstretched her arms to Toph. "I haven't seen you two all day!"

"I went on a run," Toph said while shoveling chips into her mouth. She offered the bag to Yue. "Want some?"

"No thanks, I'm on a diet." Yue turned to Katara. "Why weren't you at cheer?"

"I just wasn't in the mood," Katara shrugged. At Yue's searching glance, she quickly changed the subject. "Anyone from your family coming?"

"Not that I know of…. some of them may show up." Yue came from a large family of nine children. It caused some of them to be overlooked at times, but in truth, they were extremely close-knit and devoted to each other.

"I was just saying how I wanted Sokka to come."

"Yeah, yeah. _Whatever_." Yue waved a hand dismissively and leaned forward, eyes bright. "Tell me about this guy, and the café, and then the car thing. Details."

Toph and Katara obliged. Yue burst into laughter when Katara recounted how she'd spilled water on Haru, and listened intently when she described the near-death experience she'd undergone with the scarred boy.

"He was listening to the same music? The same _song_?" Yue waited for Katara to nod in confirmation. "That's fate."

Katara shook her head. "I'm not sure if I believe in fate."

Yue lifted her purse and smacked Katara's arm. "Oh, shut _up_."

"Hey!" Katara protested. "You don't believe in _dating_!"

"_That's_ different." Yue flipped her hair over her shoulder. "I'm focused. On school. On the ultimate goal: Boston University." She grinned. "I can let myself fall in love once I'm there."

Toph was checking her watch. "Okay guys, I've got a couple more hours until the football game is on. Wanna split?"

"Our friend and her priorities," Yue tut-tutted. Nonetheless, the three girls rose from their seats and made their way to the parking lot.

"Wanna get pizza?" Toph suggested, then grinned. "_Actually_ get pizza this time."

"Yeah," Katara returned her smile. "That sounds good. I'm hungry."

They were halfway across the parking lot when they noticed him; a tall, lean, dark haired young man in dark jeans and a dark green t-shirt, leaning against a small car.

Toph let a small smile creep over her face, even as she continued to walk. "I knew I should have stuck with you, Sweetness."

"Please tell me that delicious looking male is the infamous Haru," Yue said, sneaking glances at him from the corner of her eye.

"It is," Katara answered. "And he brought my purse. What a gentleman."

"Oh my god!" Yue squealed, attempting to keep her tone under a whisper. "He looks so _different_ from last year! Maybe it's the mustache… oh, he saw us, he's coming. Quick, look like you don't care!"

Yue launched into a full description of her bedroom and laughed. Her friends instantly followed her lead. Out of the corner of her eye, Toph watched Haru approach them, and when she couldn't handle it anymore, she looked up at him.

"Um… Katara?" He raised a hand in a small wave. The girls paused and turned to him.

"Oh, _hi_! I remember you…. the guy I-"

"Spilled water on yesterday, yes." Haru was smiling, which Katara liked; he didn't hold a grudge. "In any case, you dropped your purse…" He paused, presenting it to them. "And there was an I.D. inside, so I figured I'd bring it over."

"Oh! Wow, thank you!" Katara took the purse from him, smiling. "That was very kind of you."

Haru shrugged. "Yeah, I figured a girl can't live without her school I.D. and lip gloss…"

Katara laughed. "Well, thank you, really. Oh, let me introduce you to my friends. This is Yue, and _this_ is-"

"_Haru_?!" A high pitched squeal rudely interrupted Katara's introduction. "Is that you?"

The girls turned to find their overenthusiastic cheer captain bounding towards them.

"Oh my God, it _is _you!" With that, she launched herself into Haru's arms, who immediately wrapped her in an embrace.

"Ty Lee! Huh… wow, it's been a while, hasn't it? I missed you!"

"Yeah, since winter break!" Ty Lee pulled away from him, a smile plastered on her face. "How long have you been in town? And are you _all _in town- is Jet here?"

"Yeah, we're all here for a few days…."

"So Jet's here? That's…" Ty Lee's smile faltered for a second. "That's great! I mean, he hasn't called, but-"

"His phone broke," Haru interrupted.

Ty Lee's eyes softened. "You don't have to lie for him, Haru. It's fine, really. Anyways, um…" She turned to the girls behind her. "I'm sorry for interrupting, Katara, I just haven't seen him for a while… actually, I didn't know you guys were friends."

"We met yesterday," Katara informed her.

"Oh, lovely! These girls are really great, Haru… Yue and Katara are on my squad, and Toph's on every girl sports team, I think... she's very skilled."

Haru's eyebrows rose. "Wow. That sounds impressive."

"Thanks," said Toph.

"Are you busy right now, Haru?" Ty Lee asked.

"Nope."

"Alright, well, I'm starving… maybe you could round up whoever's available from the gang, and we can catch up?"

"Sounds good." Haru pulled out his phone. "I'll text them, see where they're at."

Ty Lee smiled at the other girls. "Since we all know each other, would you like to join us?"

Yue and Katara smiled at this small victory. "Yes! That'd be great."

"Awesome! Let's go to Haru's car… oh, we're the perfect number, we'll all fit…"

As they walked, Katara drew her phone from her pocket sent two texts. The first was to her brother, informing him that she wouldn't be home for another two hours.

Toph pulled her phone from her pocket when it buzzed. _"Thanks"?_ The text read. _What got into you? _

She flipped her phone shut, ignoring the text from Katara, and though about how the shade of Haru's shirt really brought out his eyes.

* * *

They met three other boys at an Italian restaurant not far from their school. Katara recognized them from the café the night before; and they teasingly recognized her.

"Let me introduce you," said Haru. "Guys- Katara, Yue, and Toph. Girls, this is Jet." He pointed to the tall, tan boy with the strand of wheat in his mouth.

"Pleasure," said he, with a smirk. Ty Lee whisked him away shortly, and Katara watched them disappear into the women's bathroom.

"This is Teo." Teo had an open, friendly face. He greeted the girls with an enthusiastic smile.

"And, last but not least, Lu Ten." Haru gestured to the tallest of them, a boy with broad shoulders and sideburns.

"Hello." Lu Ten smiled, his eyes lingering on Yue. "Let's get some food, I'm starving."

They sat down and began to scan their menus. They were almost finished with relating their selections to the waitress when Ty Lee and Jet returned. Ty Lee's lipstick was smeared, and Jet's strand of wheat was missing.

"Where's Zuko?" Ty Lee inquired.

"Missing," Jet answered them, then told the newcomers: "Zuko's Lu Ten's cousin."

Lu Ten swallowed a mouthful of beer. "Missing how?"

"I don't know, he's not answering his phone." Jet reached for the breadstick. "Last thing he told me was that he was going to head to some garage for some car trouble…"

Ty Lee pouted. "I miss him. I barely see him when you guys come to visit…"

Momentarily, the waitress brought their food. Though it was relatively early for the pasta and shrimp medley Katara had ordered, its scent was enticing, and she decided to dig in.

"So where do you guys go to school?" Yue inquired.

"Boston University," Haru told her. "But Teo is still in high school."

"I knew I recognized you!" Katara pointed her fork at Teo. "You're president of the Aviation club, right?"

Teo blushed at the attention. "That's me. It's a passion of mine."

"That's great. Toph here has a passion for sports," Katara said, not forgetting the reason they had tried to talk to these boys in the first place.

"Really?"

"Yeah, kinda," Toph said awkwardly.

"Kinda how?" Haru smiled.

"I'm just good at sports."

"Good _at_ them?" Lu Ten's eyes roved over Toph, noting her small stature.

Toph didn't miss his implication. "Yeah, I know, hard to believe because of my size. I do kick ass, though."

Katara grinned, glad to see her shyness was wearing away. "She kicks ass at basketball, soccer, football, tennis, track, wrestling..."

"I can verify all of that," said Ty Lee, throwing Toph a wink.

"Whoa, wrestling?" Jet smirked. "You do sound kickass."

Toph laughed, suddenly at ease.

"Now that I think about it, I remember seeing you around the fields, Toph. I'm not too into sports, but my friends drag me around." Teo turned to Katara. "You, too. You're a cheerleader, right?"

"That's right."

"And you, Toph?" Haru inquired.

"Never. Just… not the cheerleading type."

From there, the conversation veered off to their separate and varied interests. Haru and Lu Ten played college football. Jet was a part of a hard rock band called The Freedom Fighters, and he had a strange flair for archery.

"Zuko's the weird one, though," Jet spoke over his chicken. "No concrete interests. Dabbles in everything."

"Really?" said Katara. "Like what?"

"He reads and writes and builds shit," Lu Ten told them. "He's a bit of a genius, my little cousin."

"Weirdest taste in music," said Haru.

"No way," Jet argued. "You just listen to crap."

They launched into a small argument about mainstream music, and the mention of melodies brought the memory of last night's event to the front of Katara's mind.

Ty Lee tried to get Jet's attention, but he was too preoccupied with Haru to answer. She turned to Lu Ten. "You guys are coming to the game on Friday, right, Lu Ten?"

"Sure," he replied easily. "And I'll make sure Zuko comes."

"Good," she smiled, satisfied. "I'd like to see him."

"That'd be cool," said Yue. "It'd be great to see you guys again."

"Oh, definitely," Katara echoed.

They continued to eat. At some point, Haru leaned into Ty Lee. "Isn't Mai here?"

"She said she might be in town," Ty Lee answered. "It's her spring break, too. I'm not entirely sure, though."

"Huh." Haru left it at that.

Lu Ten offered to pay for another round of drinks, and so the pleasant conversation continued to bubble and thrive.

* * *

"Toph! Katara! Yue!"

The girls' heads turned at the voice, seeing a grinning boy walking towards them.

"Teo!" The girls smiled as he approached.

"Look at this, we meet one day and now I see you all the time," he teased, moving to stand beside them by the wall of lockers.

"Indeed." Katara offered him a warm smile. "How are you?"

"Good, good! Actually, the guys- Lu Ten and Jet and them- are throwing a party on Saturday, and they wanted to invite you, but since none of them had your contact information…"

"Oh!" The three girls exchanged looks; this was the first college party they'd ever been invited to.

"We'll see if we're free," Katara finally replied coolly.

"Thanks, Teo," said Yue. "And thank the guys for us, will you?"

"Sure thing. Although, you can thank them yourselves if you want… Lu Ten wanted your number, Yue."

"He can get it himself if he wants it," Yue replied, a bit brashly.

Katara shot her a look. "Well…" She pulled a paper from her bag. "Here's my number, and Toph's. For you, of course."

Teo's face lit up. "Thanks!"

"No problem."

As soon as Teo left them, Toph turned to her friends. "_Are _we going to the party?"

"Of _course_ we are," Yue replied. "We just can't tell them that. We have to play hard to get, like our Katara here."

"I'm not playing anything," Katara argued.

"Mmhm," Yue pretended to agree. "You girls know what this means, right?"

Katara and Toph looked at Yue with blank expressions.

"Shopping, of course!"

* * *

Katara, Yue, and Toph emerged from their fifth store that evening. Yue's arms were laden with bags, as were Katara's, while Toph marched in front of them with her arms crossed.

"Can we leave now?"

"_We_ can," Yue answered. "_You_ can't. You haven't bought a single thing, and there's no way I'm letting you go to your first college party in that dreadful green sweater you always wear."

"Nobody will even notice me," Toph argued. "And I won't wear the sweater. Promise."

"I'm afraid I can't take your word for it. You wear that sweater everywhere, Toph." Katara laid a hand on her shoulder. "We'll just buy you one shirt, _green_ if you insist, a nice pair of skinny jeans..."

"Some stiletto heels..." Yue added.

"And then we'll leave." The two girls broke into peals of laughter at Toph's exaggerated grimace. At the slight cough behind them, the two girls turned to find the last people they expected to see.

"Hey!" A smiling Ty Lee was the first to approach. As always, she was the very picture of beauty; everything, from her hair to her pink top to her white heels, was perfect. "How are you guys?"

"Good, we're good," Yue replied to her cheer captain. "And you?"

"Peachy. Oh, let me introduce you!" She tugged on the hand of one of the three guys who stood behind her. "You've met the rest of the guys… but _this _is Zuko, the absentee one we were talking about yesterday."

Katara glanced at Zuko, then did a double-take.

"Whoa, Katara." Jet was suddenly by her side, his arm grasping hers to steady her. "You okay?"

"_Huh_? Yeah…" She shook her head to clear it. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"You look kind of pale," Ty Lee said dubiously.

"I'm fine, fine." Katara glanced over at Zuko. She wondered if he was going to tell his friends how he knew her. One look at his face told her he wouldn't. His head was bent, his gaze focused on his shoes.

A decision made, Katara extended a hand. "Hello, Zuko. Nice to meet you."

He took her hand, the gesture automatic. "Same."

A small silence ensued.

"So..." Toph attempted to create conversation. "What're you guys doing here?"

"Well, I had to go shopping and my best friend Mai, you guys remember her, right?" The girls nodded. "Well, she's in college in New York, but she arrived in Massachusetts this morning for a visit, and I guess she was tired so she cancelled on our shopping trip...so I dragged Jet, but he hates shopping so he dragged Zuko, who dragged Lu Ten, and here we are."

"We're shopping too." Yue raised her many shopping bags as proof.

"For the party on Saturday, I hope," said Lu Ten.

"Shopping needs no occasion," Yue countered ambiguously.

"Amen to that." Ty Lee took Yue's hand. "Come on, let's go. Shopping with girls is _so_ much more fun than shopping with boys."

With that, the four girls walked into the next store, the boys following not too reluctantly.

* * *

Katara browsed through a collection of sheer shirts, alone. Two hours had passed since Ty Lee had joined her group with theirs- and the two hours had been utterly excruciating. Ty Lee had whisked Toph away in a frenzy, determined to find something she would like, and Jet had followed them. Yue and Lu Ten had immediately hit it off, and had even disappeared for a while, telling them later they had went to the food court. That left Katara with Zuko- who was, at the moment, completely ignoring her. She'd tried to ask him why he didn't tell his friends how they'd met; but he'd replied by turning the question on her. Then they'd wandered into a music store, and the two had wandered to the same section; but after asking his opinion on an album, he'd moved away. His hot-and-cold attitude had eventually pushed her to drift away from him and attempt to entertain herself.

"Hey!" She heard a familiar voice behind her. "Oh wow, these tops are gorgeous."

"Yeah." She watched Yue pick a silver-gray one, flipping the tag to check the size. "What's going on with you?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you and Lu Ten disappeared for like half an hour, and I don't think it was to pick up frozen yogurt."

"It was to pick up frozen yogurt!"

Katara rolled her eyes. "You're on a diet."

"Oh... yeah," Yue grumbled. "You know me too well."

"So, what happened? You two do it in a back alley?"

"Ew, gross!" Yue smacked Katara's arm with one of her bags. "He's too old for... that. And I'm too young. Besides, you know I don't date."

"Yeah, yeah, until college, I know," Katara said. "What did you guys do for so long, then?"

"We just drifted off," Yue shrugged. "Seriously. The guy is capable of great conversation."

"I'll bet," Katara teased. "How old _is_ he, anyway?"

"Twenty," Yue answered, and Katara pretended to cringe, earning herself another smack. "Hey, that's not too bad! He's a junior… like us. Haha. Besides, it's not like that. We're just friends, if that."

"Okay, if you say so," Katara conceded.

"Speaking of boys," Yue's eyes twinkled mischievously. "Why aren't you with Zuko?"

Katara straightened her shoulders. "Why would I be with him?"

"I don't know. Why_ aren't_ you?"

"He's being weird," Katara said succinctly, not really in the mood to elaborate on the issue.

Yue picked up on her vibe. "Okay."

"That reminds me, actually," Katara began. "Guess who Zuko is."

Yue's brow furrowed. "Is this a trick question?"

"No. He's the guy who almost hit me with his car!"

Yue's jaw dropped. "No way! _That_ guy?"

"Yes!"

"The listens-to-the-same-weird-shit-as-Katara-guy?"

"The music I listen to isn't 'weird shit'. And yes, him!"

Yue tilted her head. "Why didn't he say anything?"

Katara shrugged. "Beats me. But that's him."

"Huh. Weren't we saying he was meant for you?"

Katara's eyes narrowed. "_No_."

"Just kidding. Anyway, I was wondering... what do you think about…" Yue gestured towards her face.

"What?" Katara inquired, momentarily confused. "His scar?"

"Yeah."

"What about it?"

"Well, it's kind of..."

"What?"

"Aren't you curious as to how he got a mark like that?"

Katara glanced over at him, standing at the opposite end of the store, his scar as obvious as a beacon.

"Yeah, I am," she murmured, almost to herself.

"Girls!" A squeal alerted them to Ty Lee's arrival. "Look who could make it after all!"

They turned to find Mai standing beside her. Being a year older than Ty Lee, she had graduated the year before, and therefore Katara and Yue had not seen her in months. She looked as pretty and as bored as they remembered her- but thinner, if that was possible. Her hair was longer, but just as black and sleek, and she wore a short maroon dress that hung off her shoulders.

"Hey," Mai greeted them, with as much enthusiasm as Katara supposed she could muster.

"Hi, Mai," Yue replied. "How's college?"

"Not as boring as high school," Mai replied, predictably.

Almost immediately, the rest of the group surrounded them. Jet and Lu Ten greeted Mai with short hugs and genuine smiles, while Zuko and Mai's hug was much more intimate; she pressed her face into his chest and he squeezed her arm briefly before they broke apart.

"Are you guys together?" The question was out of Katara's mouth before she could stop it. Everyone around her froze.

"No- no, we're not," Mai finally said, taking a decisive step away from Zuko. Zuko stared at his feet for a moment, jaw set, before lifting his eyes and meeting Katara's.

"Let's go to the food court, I'm starving," Lu Ten interrupted the awkward silence.

"Weren't you just at the food court?" Toph teased, and the nervous laughter that followed dispelled the awkwardness that had fallen over them. The group walked out of the store; Mai, Ty Lee, and Toph in the forefront, then Zuko and Jet, then Lu Ten and Yue. Katara trailed after them, head lowered, as she contemplated why it was they had all reacted so dramatically.

* * *

"I think I am going to die from embarrassment," Katara moaned, face buried in her hands as the three girls sat in the bus on the way home.

"Everyone forgot about it," Yue tried to soothe her friend.

"No they didn't," Toph countered, getting a glare from Yue.

"At least I know Toph is being honest with me," Katara groaned.

"It wasn't that bad," Yue assured her. "It's obvious they had history, or else they wouldn't have reacted like that. But _you_ are in the clear."

"Well that's great, just great." Katara tossed up her hands. "I have never said anything so stupid in my life."

"Yes, you have," Yue teased, making Katara laugh. "Come on, it's not that big a deal.

Katara felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. "Ugh, hold on." She reached into her pocket and drew out her phone, flipping it open and reading the text. Her mouth fell open as her eyes scanned the words, and she pressed her palm to her forehead. A fleeting thought raced across her mind- _how did he get my number?_ For although the number was one she didn't recognize, she knew exactly who had sent it.

_Jealousy looks good on you. _

* * *

_A/N: _Review!


	3. Commercial

**Chapter 3**

**Commercial**

_A/N: _Thank you all so much for the reviews! Keep 'em coming :D

* * *

Katara glanced at her buzzing phone, which sat on the middle of her bed after she had thrown it there upon her arrival from the mall. Since then, she refused to glance at it. That was four hours ago. It was now deep into the night, and the only illumination Katara had was the bright light that shone from her laptop screen and the pale blue one that emanated from her lava lamp.

She drummed her fingers restlessly on the surface of her desk, rereading the words she had been working on all night.

_Two nights ago, I met a guy. Actually, it was several guys, but that's the way it is when you meet _the _guy; tons of other things could happen in that day, ripples and echoes of other events... but they will all pale in comparison, until there's nothing left except the memory of the first time his eyes clashed with yours. It's-_

Her phone buzzed again.

_It's almost comical, actually-_

The third buzz in two minutes. Truly irritated now, Katara rose from her stiff wooden chair and approached the bed, plopping herself onto it and flipping her phone open to find six unread messages. They were all from the unknown number she knew was Zuko.

She contemplated for a second, before typing into her phone. _So you act like you don't know me, then you suddenly can't stop texting?_

His response arrived a tortuous five minutes later. _Glad to know you're alive. _

Katara rolled her eyes at his predictability. He was the classic male jerk; showers the girl with attention, ignores her, keeps her waiting, drives her crazy.

The corners of her lips turned up into a grin. If he wanted to keep her waiting, she would do the same. Katara left her phone on the bed and quietly crept out of her room, stepping into the kitchen and brewing some tea. She idly sipped at the cup, watching the arms on the clock move with satisfaction.

Twenty minutes later, Katara walked back into her room and picked up the phone. She grinned when she saw he had texted her twice since: _You there?_

_I'm a bit busy,_ she typed back. _Are you gonna answer the question?_

His reply was swift. _How can you be busy? It's two A.M, and you're sixteen. _

_Such compelling conversation, telling me the time and reminding me of my age. _Katara rolled onto her stomach, finding herself almost biting the insides of her cheeks to keep from smiling.

_I tend to be much more compelling in person. Wanna meet me somewhere?_

Katara stared at the screen, considering it for only a moment. _Nope._

_Right, you're sixteen..._

Katara rolled her eyes. _And you're boring a sixteen year old, which is kind of pathetic. _

He replied:_ That actually made me smile. _

_Which is more than you've accomplished, _she sent back, grinning despite herself.

His next text made her heart beat a little faster. _I have a feeling I'll have lots of oppurtunities to catch up in the future. _

Before she could reply, her phone buzzed, alerting her to another text. _I'd love to keep talking, but you have a game tomorrow. I can get away with napping on the bleachers, but you can't in the middle of the gym. _

_You'll be there? _She sent, despite herself.

_Of course, Ocean Eyes._

At that, Katara let out a laugh. Ocean Eyes? Was he serious?

_Did you just call me "ocean eyes"? _Katara chuckled as she sent the text.

_Go to sleep. I'll see you tomorrow. :)_

Katara flipped her phone shut, staring at the ceiling for a few solid minutes, her mind racing at an impossible speed. Nothing like this had ever happened to her before, and it was frightening and exciting.

With a decisive flip of her phone, Katara saved the unknown number under "Zuko". Then she rose and walked to her laptop, typing two last sentences on her keyboard before publishing the blog post.

_He uses good grammar while texting. I like that._

* * *

Katara, Toph, and Yue walked to their favorite table, a round one tucked under a tree. They reached it and sat down, Toph immediately pulling out her lunch and starting to eat, Yue sipping daintily on her water bottle, while Katara simply sat lost in thought.

"Earth to Katara!" Yue snapped her fingers.

"Sorry," Katara smiled sheepishly. "I'm just excited for the game tonight."

"You're never excited for games," Yue said suspiciously.

"I think she's more excited about Zuko _watching_ the game," Toph corrected.

"Or watching _her_ in that short cheer skirt..."

"Stop it!" Katara broke into laughter. "Okay yes, I'm excited because Zuko is going to be there, and... well, who knows what could happen?"

"You're getting a little carried away, dear." Yue pulled out a compact mirror and touched up her violet lipstick. "Do I look okay?"

"Gorgeous, as always," Katara answered promptly. "And yeah, you're right, he probably doesn't even like me."

"He'd be stupid not to like you, Sugar Queen," Toph said. "You're pretty, smart, witty. I'm the one who doesn't stand a chance."

"Why would you say that?" Katara cut in. "Did something happen?"

"No, no... _nothing_. Nothing at all."

"Hey, cheer up." Yue forced enthusiasm into her voice. "You don't know what could happen tonight."

"Nothing's going to happen tonight," Toph grouched.

"I doubt it," Katara protested. "I'll bet that by the end of the night, all he'll be able to think about is how gorgeous and compelling and clever you are."

"Which is all true," Yue cut in. "Just add 'sarcastic as hell.'"

"He'd be damn lucky to have you," Katara finished, smiling reassuringly at her friend.

"Thanks, Katara," Toph returned the smile. "I knew I called you Sweetness for a reason."

"Just the truth, Toph," Katara answered. "Trust me, you've got that guy wrapped around your finger."

"Uh, guys?"

Katara and Toph looked at Yue, who was twisted in her seat and staring at the parking lot behind her.

The two girls looked to where Yue was staring. Emerging from a small black car was a tall, lean, dark haired young man in dark jeans and a dark green t-shirt. Toph's jaw fell open.

"Speak of the devil," Katara said absentmindedly.

"_Again_?" Yue gave Toph a significant glance. Toph blushed and stared into her lap.

"Hey, so, I was wondering... about that English homework..." Yue's friends instantly followed her lead. Out of the corner of her eye, Toph watched Haru approach the table, and when she couldn't handle it anymore, she looked up at him.

"Hey, Haru!" She smiled, her expression not betraying how squeamish she felt. His shirt really brought out the color of his eyes.

"Hey, Toph." He touched her shoulder before turning his attention to the other girls. "Katara, Yue."

"What're you doing here?" Toph asked nervously.

"Well, I heard I missed out on the oppurtunity to hang out with you girls yesterday at the mall, so I came over to make up for it."

Toph couldn't stop the grin from gracing her face, and he answered with one of his own.

"That said, do you wanna hang out with me?" He jerked his thumb towards his car.

"Oh- honestly, I would say yes, believe me I am not a studious student," Toph began. "But I have an exam next period, and I can't afford to miss it."

"Oh, that's okay, I wouldn't ask you guys to miss school," Haru said. "I was hoping you'd let me hang out with you now, then after school we could drive around a little before the game..."

"Oh.."

"_All_ of you-"

"She's fine with that," Katara cut in quickly, while Toph looked stricken. "But, you know, Yue and I actually have to go now. Bye!" She winked at Toph, grabbed Yue's arm, and walked away from the table, smiling ear to ear.

* * *

"Let's go, Benders!" Katara cheered, shaking her pom pom in the air. "Come on!" Her eyes, meanwhile, scanned the gym thoroughly for the fifth time.

"Katara, you okay?" A fellow cheerleader, Song, questioned.

"Fine," Katara forced a smile. "I'm just looking for Toph."

"I think I saw her outside before the game started," Song said. "She was talking to some guy."

"Oh." She did a terrible job of hiding her disappointment. Katara was glad for her friend; she truly was. But if she and Haru were talking outside, that meant that they'd had enough time to hang out and come back before the game... and Zuko was still nowhere in sight.

Outside, Toph stood with her arms crossed over her chest angrily. "What do you mean, he's just not coming?"

"I don't know, something came up." Lu Ten shrugged. "That's just how Zuko is."

"I'm back." Haru rounded the corner, his eyes growing wide as he spotted his friend. "Lu Ten, hey man!"

"Hey," Lu Ten said. "Just telling Toph here how Zuko isn't gonna be able to make it tonight."

"He isn't, huh?" Haru inwardly sighed, though he wasn't very surprised.

"I'm going into the gym, Jet's already inside." He clapped Haru on the back. "See ya."

"She's going to be upset," Toph admitted to Haru. "Your jerk friend shouldn't have promised to come if he wasn't going to."

Haru held up his hands in a gesture of submission. "Hey, I'm not defending the guy."

Toph continued to pace. "Your friend is awful."

Haru continued to watch her, grinning at her frantic pacing. "True."

"He's a total douchebag!" She dropped against the wall, turning her pale blue-gray eyes up to him.

"Toph, it may not be that big a deal," Haru tried to reassure her. "He's coming to the party tomorrow. They'll see each other then."

"Yeah," she mumbled distractedly.

"Come on, the game started. Let's go watch your friends cheer, and after we can all go out and eat." He placed a hand on the small of her back, steering her forward; then, when he noted her blush, removed it.

Katara watched Jet walk into the gym and wave to Ty Lee before she blew him a kiss. Then Lu Ten joined him, and although Yue tried to pretend that she didn't care, Katara saw her whole body stiffen at the sight of him. Then came Haru and Toph; the differences in their height brought a smile to her face although she was upset that Zuko was late.

The game wore on. Every time the gym door opened, Katara's head snapped to it, disappointed anew every time it wasn't Zuko. As the buzzer rang for halftime, Katara knew Zuko wasn't going to come.

She put on a brave face and joined her friends. Ty Lee had flung herself into Jet's arms, and they were making out a few feet away from the rest of the group. Haru still had his arm over Toph's shoulder, and they were in the middle of a conversation with Yue and Lu Ten.

"Hey, guys," she said as she approached the group. "Lu Ten. Aren't you a little old for high school basketball games?" Katara teased.

"Uh... spring break?" Lu Ten shrugged, chuckling. "Not that it would apply to me, anyway..."

"I'm kidding," Katara smiled. "So, what's up?"

Zuko's absence was the elephant that hung in the room as Toph glanced worriedly at Katara, while Haru and Yue stared at Lu Ten, who stared at the floor.

"Come get a soda with me." Toph disentangled herself from Haru and pulled Katara away from the group.

"Lu Ten told me he had some kind of last minute situation he couldn't get out of," Toph said.

"You're a terrible liar," Katara sighed.

"Actually, I'm a great liar, but that's beside the point because I don't lie, and I'm not lying now."

"Then Lu Ten is, or Zuko." Katara shrugged dejectedly. "He just didn't want to see me."

"Sugar Queen, you know that's not true." Toph shook her head. "If he said he was coming after calling you _Ocean Eyes_, then I'm sure he would have been here if he could."

Katara didn't laugh at her friend's attempt at cheering her up. "You don't have to try and make me feel better, Toph."

"Why don't we tell the guys I'm not feeling well, and Yue and me and you could go back to my place and watch movies?" Toph suggested.

"No way," Katara said immediately. "You've been so excited to see Haru, and I know he is to see you."

Toph shook her head. "Actually... I don't think-"

"And Lu Ten _obviously_ showed up for Yue. Just because his jackass cousin stood me up doesn't mean we have to ditch them."

"To be honest, I don't think Haru wanted to hang out with me today."

Katara folded her arms. "What? Why would you think that?"

Toph held up her hands in exasperation. "You really don't know? Katara, he asked us _all_ to hang out. And you foisted me off on him!"

"Foisted? You make it sound like I forced you! Besides- inviting us all was obviously a cover. He's a timid sort of guy, you can tell."

Toph frowned. "Katara..."

"What? Are you upset with me?"

"No, no, of course not-"

"Then we should go."

Toph regarded Katara's overly bright eyes and wide smile with suspicion. "We don't have to go. Really."

"But I want to. I want to hang out with my friends after a game and watch my best friend fall in love." Katara batted her eyelashes playfully.

"Getting a little ahead of yourself there," Toph mumbled.

"Just let me enjoy the moment." Katara looped her arm through Toph's. "And let's get back to the group."

Katara smiled through the conversations that followed and laughed convincingly. She returned to her cheering position and waved her pom pom in the air, shouting encouragements to the Benders as she was supposed to do. After the game, she collected her stuff from the locker room, flipping her phone open to reveal the main screen. There were no messages, and no missed calls. Nothing.

"Jerk." She knocked away a stupid tear that fell out of the corner of her eye, before quickly composing herself and joining her friends in their cars.


	4. Bad Dream

**Chapter 4**

**Bad Dream**

_The hot embarrassment feels like a slow burn spreading across my face, crawling down my throat, where it lumps up and remains. I swallow it down, anger simultaneously making its way down my arms to my fists. I dig my fingernails into my palms, calming myself._

_It doesn't matter._

He_ doesn't matter._

_I just wish that everyone hadn't been there; I wish that everyone hadn't been staring at me with that mixture of pity and mutual embarrassment. It makes it even worse, knowing that they, too, think I have a right to be angry; it makes it more real._

_I've only met him last week. What is happening to me?_

Katara sighed, staring at the words she had posted to her blog for the millionth time that night. She still couldn't believe the way things had unfolded after she left the locker room and joined her friends in the parking lot...

* * *

_[ A few hours prior ]_

"There she is, girl of the hour," Lu Ten teased, as Katara made her way to the group.

"What?" Her brow furrowed in puzzlement, joining in on their infectious smiles. "What're you talking about?"

"Well, Toph was telling us about how you can do these _fantastic_ splits..."

Katara immediately turned red, smacking Toph with her handbag. "Toph!"

"Don't look at me, Sweetness, it was all you." Toph stuck out her tongue before continuing. "They were all sharing embarrassing stories, and I volunteered one on your behalf."

"That's not fair," Katara pretended to pout. "I didn't get to hear any of yours."

"We'll repeat them on the way to the restaurant," Haru promised. "Let's split up into cars."

"Okay, let's figure this out." While Lu Ten and Haru planned how they would get half the cheerleading squad into their cars, Katara found Teo standing a few feet away from the group and greeted him and his friends.

After a few minutes, Lu Ten and Haru seemed to figure it out, because they attempted to seperate Jet and Ty Lee, who had been glued together since the end of the game.

"Come on, Jet," Lu Ten grasped his shoulder, rolling his eyes playfully in Yue's direction. "Time to drive."

"Hold on, one sec," Jet mumbled against Ty Lee's lips, his hands repositioning themselves at her waist.

"Mmmm, baby, I love your spring break," Ty Lee murmured, oblivious to the entire group laughing at them.

"Seriously, kid, time to drive." Lu Ten yanked Jet away from Ty Lee and pushed him in the direction of his car. Jet scowled and took Ty Lee's hand in his own as they headed for his small, beat up Toyota.

"You girls are riding with me," Haru smiled. Once his back was turned, Katara pretended to fall into an exaggerated swoon, making Toph frown as Katara and Yue snickered.

A hand fell onto Yue's shoulder. She turned, surprised, to find Lu Ten behind her. "Ride with me?"

She glanced at his Jeep, where a few people were climbing in. "No thanks... I'll just ride with Katara and Toph."

She could see Katara glaring at her pointedly in her peripheral vision, and was surprised when Lu Ten looked actually disappointed. "I'll see you at the restaurant, though!" Yue tried to sound excited, and gave him a wink before grabbing Katara and walking to Haru's car.

"Why didn't you go with him?" Katara inquired. "He's an old man and he came to a high school basketball game to spend time with you!"

"I don't think that's why," Yue shrugged. "But if it is, that's kind of creepy."

"Shut up, you don't mean that," Katara said. "Why did you say no, really?"

"I just didn't feel like it," Yue said, succintly.

"Okay." Katara decided not to push it any further, sensing her cousin wouldn't say anything else. "You look gorgeous in that shirt, by the way."

"Thanks," Yue said, looking down at her silver tank top and short white jacket. She then gave Katara a once-over, liking her jeans skirt and sparkly blue, sleeveless shirt. "Hey, is that my shirt?"

"Yeah, I couldn't find anything in my locker."

Yue nodded approvingly. "That's a short skirt. Bet Zuko wishes he was here now."

Katara rolled her eyes. They reached Haru's car and yanked the door open, slipping into the back seat.

"About time," Toph joked from the passenger seat.

"Nah, we're just waiting a couple minutes to see if anyone didn't find a ride yet," Haru informed them.

"Who's anyone?" Katara inquired.

"Does it matter?" Haru asked, giving her a curious look. "I mean, you're a cheerleader..."

Katara knew what he meant. In the "cheerleader's" book, there was no head-counting; not at games, not after the games, not at parties, not in bed.

"Katara doesn't think like a cheerleader," Yue informed Haru. "She tends to surprise you like that."

"Well, in that case, don't worry- it's not a 'everyone can come' kind of thing. It's just us, you girls, a couple of Ty Lee's friends, and a couple of Teo's friends."

"Oh, okay," Katara said.

"Sorry if I offended you with that cheerleader comment," Haru said, turning his head to look at her over his shoulder.

"It's no biggie," she shrugged. At that moment, the door beside her was jerked open as a boy of big stature pushed her further down the back seat and settled himself in her spot.

Katara glared at him angrily, and before she could say anything, Haru had reached behind him and popped open the door he'd just entered through. "Out, Chan. I'm not driving you anywhere."

"Come on!" Chan complained. "I've got no ride!"

"That's too bad," Haru said, sounding like he didn't think it was too bad at all.

"Come on bro, I throw all the parties," Chan continued.

"Your older brother throws the parties," Haru corrected. "And whenever you aren't drinking or trying to hook up, you're guarding your Nana's vase."

The girls snickered, covering their mouths with their hands. "Hey, that vase is important to her!" Chan shouted, but stepped out of the car. Before he closed the door, he stuck his head inside again. "See you at the party on Saturday," he said to the girls, winking.

When he was gone, the girls burst into laughter. "_What _was that?"

"Chan," Haru said, shaking his head. "He's a perv."

"What?" The girls couldn't stop laughing.

"Yeah, he's actually senior at your school, I'm surprised you didn't notice him before. He's obnoxious," Haru said. "And his brother's my teammate."

"We juniors never get noticed," Yue pretended to pout.

"Until a group of sexy college guys come along," a voice from the open window said, making them all jump. Jet, standing outside the car, laughed. "Just came by to tell you we're ready to go! This lovely lady needs a seat though, got room?"

"Yeah, sure," Haru smiled at the pale girl with dark hair and bangs standing beside him in her cheer uniform. "Hop in the back."

"Alright, ready to go then!" Jet left them and returned to his car. Katara and Yue made room for the third cheerleader, who happened to be Song.

"Hey!" The four girls started talking and laughing as Haru followed Lu Ten's jeep out of the parking lot and into the road.

Soon enough, they were pulling into a parking space at a nearly deserted diner not too far from the school.

"Wow, I thought it was impossible to find a place this empty on a Friday," Katara said.

"Yeah, Teo knows this place," Haru said as he pulled his keys out of the ignition. "We can fool around here and not worry about space because it's nearly empty. Plus, they have _amazing_ burgers."

Everyone started to pile out of their cars, and soon the group of young people was walking in through the heavy double doors of the diner. Katara followed Ty and Jet inside, Yue and Toph somewhere ahead of her.

"Hey, I'm gonna go to the bathroom," Ty Lee told Jet, detaching herself from his side and giving him a quick peck. Seeing Katara, she flashed her a smile, before turning right. The rest of the group turned left, following the waitress who was leading them to their tables.

"You can sit here," the friendly waitress in front of them gestured to their designated spot. "Lucky for you it ain't a busy night, so you can rearrange the tables however you want! I'll be right out with your menus."

Everyone around Katara started choosing their spots and moving the tables around, while she quickly scanned the place. Scattered late-night diners sat here and there. In the corner by the window sat one lone customer with his back to her; a customer with an undeniable mop of black hair.

"Is that..." Apparently, someone else had noticed him too.

"Hey man... Zuko!" Someone called out, waving to him. Zuko turned, saw the group, and, almost reluctantly, it seemed to Katara, rose and headed over to them.

A few people greeted him and clapped him on the back, but Katara quickly turned away from them, not wanting to see Zuko or meet his eyes. Whatever "emergency" had detained him from the game must have taken a hell of a short time, because here he was, enjoying dinner at liesure in an empty diner.

People started to take their seats at the large table a few of the boys had created by pushing tables together. Katara chose a corner and sat, not surprised when Toph took the seat next to her and Yue took the one in front of her. Lu Ten and Haru sat beside them, while Zuko chose a seat at the other end of the table.

"You alright, Sugar Queen?" Toph whispered to her.

"Yeah, fine." Katara plastered on a fake smile, as Yue looked at her concernedly.

"Hey, so I never got to tell you that story..." Haru started to relay an embarrassing account of an incident when his clothes were stolen. Katara only half-listened and laughed when the others did, her mind on Zuko, her eyes refusing to look at him.

If he hadn't wanted to see her, why did he promise to come to the game? Katara supposed he had just forgotten. And even if he was, indeed, a total jerk and had blatantly lied to her, she always thought that if she was faced with such a guy, she would be strong enough to handle it.

It was obvious she wasn't.

The waitress momentarily brought a large stack of menus. Katara stared sullenly at hers, completely devoid of any appetite she may have had a few minutes ago.

A loud squeal that seemed to come from right beside her ear drew her attention away from the menu. Katara looked up, finding Ty Lee standing behind her, and the shadow of someone else standing behind Ty Lee.

"Look who I found in the bathroom!" Ty Lee exclaimed, moving to the side and revealing Mai.

"Hey." Mai waved nonchalantly to the group.

She was wearing a skin tight, short black dress, with long sleeves and a low neckline. Her long, sleek, raven hair flowed past her ears and down her back. Katara glanced over her shoulder at Zuko for the first time, noticing his crisp, button down shirt.

He was staring at her. She quickly turned back to her original position, her cheeks burning. Of course. They were on a date.

"I just can't believe this coincidence! I'm walking in, and... oh." Her voice fell as her eyes spotted Zuko sitting at the other end of the table. She seemed to come to the same realization as Katara. "Well, let's eat," she tried to sound enthusiastic, but her voice wasn't as chipper as it usually was.

Katara looked curiously at her as she took her seat beside Jet in the middle of the table. She actually seemed upset; as upset as Katara was. An awkward silence hung over the table, and Katara was aware that many pairs of eyes were on her. In a way, that made her angrier. Katara unfolded her menu and made a point of inspecting every entree in detail, feeling slightly relieved when people started falling back into their seperate conversations.

"I'm sorry, Katara," Yue whispered to her, and Katara lowered her menu slightly to look at her friend.

"Yeah, he's a dick," Toph added.

Glad that Haru and Lu Ten were absorbed in their own conversation and were oblivious to theirs, Katara placed her menu on the table. "I don't really care," Katara told them. "I barely know him. I just wish he hadn't told me he'd be at the game if he was going to be on a date with her."

"I get what you mean," Yue said sympathetically. "But seriously, forget about him. Let's just have a good time."

"You're right," Katara answered, forcing a grin. When the waitress passed by them, Katara ordered a vanilla milkshake, knowing she couldn't stomach anything else.

She occasionally fell into comfortable conversation with her friends, even with Lu Ten and Haru. Lu Ten kept her smiling during most of the night; he was genuinely funny, in a quiet way, unlike her brother Sokka's obnoxious way of joking. Jet would occasionally shout something over several heads at them, which would make them all laugh. Katara kept her eyes entirely averted from Zuko and Mai; and she figured out that by doing so, and by immersing herself in her friends, she was able to swallow the milkshake, and the rest of the night.

The ride home was quiet.

Yue had been kind enough to feign tiredness at the restaurant, asking Haru to take her home early. Toph said she was also tired, and when Song assured them she would find a ride with someone else, Haru took the three girls to his car.

Silence had immediately fallen over them. It seemed that each of the three girls was absorbed in her own thoughts. Haru had plugged in his iPod and played some slow rock music.

Yue was dropped off first. She had hugged Katara, telling her she was welcome to spend the night. Katara shook her head, saying, "I feel like being alone tonight."

Katara's house was not too far from Yue's, and they were soon pulling into her driveway.

Haru looked back at her, smiling. "Hope you had a good time tonight."

She could sense his sincerity, and she knew he could tell how she felt. She smiled back. "Thanks, Haru. Your stories made the night worth it, honestly."

He laughed. "Well, I'm come fully equipped with them next time, then."

Katara stepped out of the car and squeezed Toph's shoulder through her open window. Toph raised her hand to her ear in a "Call me" gesture. Katara repeated it, pointing at Haru, and again pretending to swoon.

Toph cracked a grin as Haru started to pull out of the driveway. With a final wave, which was returned, Katara watched them drive down the road and out of her sight.

She sighed once, standing alone in the empty night, before dragging her feet into her house.

* * *

_A/N: _Please review!


	5. All At Once

**Chapter 5**

**All At Once**

_A/N_: Get ready for a really long chapter... about 6,000 words! Please leave a review :)

* * *

Katara was sitting in her back yard, nose buried in her favorite book, when a hand clamping down on her shoulder wrenched a scream from her lips.

She immediately whirled around, finding Suki bent over in a fit of giggles. Katara's heart was still beating loudly in her ears. "Suki! You scared me to death!"

Suki straightened up, wiping a tear from the corner of her eye. "Sorry! I couldn't resist."

Katara shook her head, but could feel herself starting to smile. After last night, Suki was exactly what she needed.

Suki plopped herself down on the grass beside Katara and grabbed the battered book from her hands, inspecting the spine. "_Jane Eyre_? How many times are you going to read this book?"

"What? I love it," Katara defended herself.

Suki shrugged, leaning back on her elbows and turning her face up to the sun. "To each her own magic."

That was another reason Katara loved to spend time with Suki; she talked like a writer, making up elaborate, uncannily fitting phrases as she went about life.

"Where's your magic?" Katara teased. "He was here when we had breakfast this morning."

"Oh, he's taking a shower," Suki said. "And I wasn't in the mood to join him, so..."

"Ew!" Katara clamped her hands over her ears, pushing away the mental image of her brother and his girlfriend in the shower. "Way too much information!"

"Sorry," Suki grinned wickedly. "You up to anything today?"

"Yeah, I'm going to this party later."

"A party?" Suki sat up.

"Yeah... a college party." Katara bit her lip as she gauged Suki's reaction.

"Wow. Your first, right?"

"Yeah. Don't tell Sokka?" Katara pleaded.

Suki shook her head. "Of course I won't. But you have to promise me you won't drink anything remotely alchoholic."

"I promise," Katara said, sincerely. She had no intention of getting all drunk and stupid.

"Just take your own water bottles and Pepsi in a bag or something," Suki continued. "You're fifteen, after all."

"So everyone keeps reminding me," Katara grumbled, remembering the text Zuko had sent her before. "And I hate Pepsi."

"What are you talking about? You drink Pepsi all the time."

"No, I drink Coke," Katara corrected.

"Whatever, they're the same thing." Suki began to look thoughtful. "It's been a while since I went to a college party... your brother is so boring."

Katara laughed, knowing Suki loved Sokka to death. "Especially when your dad is gone," Suki continued.

Katara nodded, knowing it was true. Their father was in the navy, and whenever he was gone, Sokka was extra careful about going out. He made sure he was never out too late, and that he didn't get drunk, and she felt a little bad knowing that Suki was dragged into it too. "You want to come?" Katara offered.

"Nah," Suki said. "College parties aren't as great as you're expecting them to be. It's a bunch of drunk kids laughing over a leaf that fell on somebody's shoe. And it feels like headache and smells like sweat."

"Way to remove all the glamour," Katara laughed.

"I tell it like it is," Suki said. "Besides, I'm going out with Sokka tonight, so unless you want Sokka to stay at home, wondering all night where his little sister is..."

"No, no," Katara laughed again. "I take back my invitation. Your position as a distracter is highly convenient."

"You're welcome." Suki smiled at her. She was glad that she fell in love with someone with a family that was as equally loveable as him.

"Come on." Suki tugged on Katara's hand, pulling them both to their feet. "Let's get some ice cream."

"What about Sokka?"

"Oh, he can entertain himself for a couple of hours," Suki waved her hand dismissively. "Besides, I've been reading your blog."

"Oh." Katara turned red.

Suki winked. "You and I have a lot to talk about."

* * *

Katara looked up from the box of chocolate chip cookies she was devouring as Sokka and Suki walked into the kitchen.

"Hey, Sukka," she greeted. She watched with amusement as Suki's nose scrunched up distastefully at the nickname.

"Cookie monster," Sokka replied wittily. "Me and Suki are going out." He took a cookie from the box and stuffed it into his mouth.

"Cool," Katara said.

"Got any plans?" Sokka asked.

"Not really," Katara shrugged, reaching for another cookie.

"If you want, Suki and I can stay home and turn it into a movie night," Sokka offered. Katara watched Suki's hilarious expression behind him. She was trying hard not to laugh.

"No, you don't have to do that. Yue and Toph are probably coming over." She was glad that that part, at least, was true. She hated lying to Sokka.

"Alright." Sokka took Suki's hand and led her towards the door.

"Text me if you need anything," Suki called back over her shoulder, her eyes boring into Katara's meaningfully.

"I will." Katara nodded, understanding what she meant.

"Bye, little sis," Sokka called from the front door, and Suki blew her a kiss.

Katara breathed out in relief when they had securely closed the door behind them. She moved from behind the kitchen counter, up the stairs, and to her room. After rummaging in her closet for fifteen minutes, the best outfit she could come up with was assembled on her bed.

While examining her clothes with a critical eye, the doorbell rang. Katara ran downstairs and opened the front door, finding her two best friends standing on the threshold.

"Aren't you excited?" Yue breezed past her before Katara could answer, rushing upstairs. Toph rolled her eyes and stepped inside.

More than a half hour later, the girls were ready. They stood beside each other in front of the mirror above the sink, which was cluttered with cosmetics.

Yue was wearing a silky, off the shoulder violet shirt and a short denim skirt. Her eyes were heavily made up with shimmery eyeshadow in shades of silver and purple. Her wrists were adorned with a series of silver bracelets, a matching pair of silver hoop earrings in her ears. Black pumps completed the outfit. Her nearly white, long hair was straightened and pulled into a high ponytail.

Toph stood in the middle, the top of her head grazing the two other girls' shoulders. She was wearing an emerald halter top that clung to her form, as well as black skinny jeans. Her huge, pale eyes were accentuated with dark eyeliner and mascara. She refused to wear any jewlery, and also refused Yue's high heels. She opted instead for a pair of flats the same color as her shirt. In her hair was a shimmery headband, also green.

Katara examined her reflection, a bit nervously. She wore a sheer shirt in a shade that couldn't decide if it was silver or shimmery blue. Her lacy white bra stood out against her tan skin and could be seen through the shirt. Like Toph, she wore a pair of skinny jeans, though hers were white and skintight. For shoes, she had chosen a pair of white stiletto heels. On her ears were a pair of earrings that she had bought a few years ago because they matched her mother's necklace perfectly. Her eyes were traced with black eyeliner, then with a silver eyeliner that belonged to Yue. Her wavy hair was let down, forming a dark halo around her head.

"Do you think we're overdressed?" Yue worried.

"Yes," Toph grumbled.

"I think we look hot." Katara mustered confidence, smiling.

"That's right," Yue echoed, her usual aassurance in her voice. "Those college boys won't know what hit them."

Katara glanced at her wall clock. "Let's go. We need to be back here before midnight, or Sokka's gonna kill me."

The girls quickly picked up their phones and keys and marched out of the bathroom. Katara cast one quick look at herself as she followed her friends. She was pleased with the way she looked; Zuko would definetely notice her.

As an afterthought, she put on a layer of clear lipgloss, before turning out the light and making her way to her first college party.

* * *

The three girls could hear the music trailing from the house a block away.

"Do we like... knock?" Katara asked as they approached the house.

"I don't think knocking does anything with music this loud," Yue said, turning the handle of the front door.

It opened, and the girls walked in. The sound that assaulted their ears redefined the word "loud". The house itself seemed to be pulsating with the force of the music. The heat in the room was almost palpable.

"Maybe we should find someone we know," Yue suggested, and the other girls nodded. They walked slowly through the living room, making their way around grinding couples.

"It smells like sex in here," Toph wrinkled her nose.

"Like you would have a clue," Katara teased. They had finally reached the kitchen, where Katara glimpsed a familiar face. "Teo!"

He looked up from his group of friends and grinned, walking over to them. "Hey! Glad to see you all made it."

"Thanks," Katara returned his smile.

"You having fun yet?" He asked them.

"Well, we just walked through the door," Yue answered. "Not much has happened yet."

As the words left Yue's lips, Toph felt a hand grab her ass. She whipped around and punched the guy's arm. He barely looked deterred, smiling drunkenly.

"Nice ass," he commented, moving along with his friends.

Toph turned to her friends again, finding Teo laughing. "What?" she demanded.

"You can certainly hold your own in a place like this," he said, still laughing.

"Nobody just _touches_ my ass." Toph crossed her arms over her chest.

"Although that was really funny, just a piece of advice- don't hold anything against anyone around here," Teo told them. "I mean, unless someone tries to shove their tongue down your throat, just ignore it. People lose their common sense when alchohol is involved."

"Did I just hear Toph say someone touched her ass?" The familiar voice behind the girls made Toph's lips involuntarily move into a smile.

"Yeah, some guy just grabbed her," Katara said.

"If you see him," Haru adressed Toph. "Tell me. I'll give him a black eye."

"You won't have to," Teo informed Haru. "She already punched him."

Haru looked at Toph with hardly masked admiration. At that, Katara and Yue exchanged a look that Toph didn't miss.

"Would you like to dance with me?" Haru asked Toph, smiling. Toph looked at her friends, wondering if it was okay to leave them alone.

Katara interpreted her look correctly. "We'll be fine without your fists," she teased.

"Yeah, we've got a few of our own," Yue added.

"Alright." Toph ignored her friends' antics, too absorbed in Haru's hand slightly grazing her arm, the fact that he wanted to dance with her. Katara watched Haru lead Toph out of the kitchen.

"I feel bad for Toph," Teo commented, shaking his head.

"Why?" Katara's head immediately snapped to him. "Is Haru a bad guy?"

"No, no. He's just a terrible dancer. Her feet will be killing her later," he joked.

The girls chuckled. "That's fitting, because Toph isn't too great a dancer herself."

"Can I get you girls a couple of drinks?" Teo asked.

"Well, we don't really drink," Katara told him. "You guys have any soda lying around?"

"Honestly, it'd be hard to find." He smiled kindly. "How about you two go hang out a bit, and I'll find you with the sodas?"

"Sure. Thanks, Teo." The girls stepped out of the kitchen and quickly found a staircase. It led to the second floor, which was not closed off; the hallway was almost balcony like, allowing those on the second floor to see the first floor. There weren't too many people up there. Katara suggested they go up, and Yue agreed. They climbed the stairs and leaned against the railing, watching everyone dance below them.

Katara then spotted a face she would have preferred not to see. Mai was standing in a corner, no doubt brooding, but it didn't make her any less gorgeous. A silk black shirt was tucked into a tight skirt that started at her waist and ended mid-thigh. Her pale skin shone. She expelled an air of mystery and something untouchable as her cat-like eyes roved over everyone else in the room. Guys continued to approach her, undoubtedly wanting to dance, and she continued to shake her head in reply, taking quiet sips of her drink.

"Having fun yet?" Teo's voice behind them alerted the girls to his presence.

"Not really," Katara said, still seeing Mai in her peripheral vision.

"You should go downstairs, then. Oh, and I got your drinks." In one hand, Teo held an unopened bottle of Coke, and in the other, he held two plastic cups. He handed the girls the cups, then proceeded to pour their drinks.

"Thanks." Katara was about to take a sip of the cool drink when a heavy arm dropped over her shoulder. "I really... _really_ like your shirt," a slurred, somewhat familiar voice said.

"Get off her, Chan." Teo nudged him off of Katara.

"What? Why's everyone always on my case, bro?" Chan swayed on his feet, looking extremely inebriated.

"You know how I was telling you earlier that people have no common sense when alchohol is involved?" Teo asked the girls, and they nodded. "Well, in Chan's case, he never has any common sense."

As the girls laughed, a cute, blonde guy who appeared to be going downstairs paused in front of Yue. He flashed her a smile. "Hey there. Wanna dance?"

"Sure," Yue smiled back. She took his extended hand and walked away with him, turning her head at the top of the stairs to wink at Katara. Katara held up a her hand in an encouraging thumbs-up.

"Ugh," Katara groaned when her friend was out of earshot. "I come here practically in my bra, and still nobody asks me to dance."

"I'll dance with you." A deep voice tickled her ear and a hand touched her hip, barely grazing it.

She looked up, finding a pair of molten gold eyes. Despite her erratically beating heart, Katara feigned nonchalance. "Oh... you."

"Come dance with me." It was more of a command than a request.

"No thanks." She took a deliberately calm sip of her drink.

"Why?"

"Because I don't want to," she shrugged, moving a step away from him and towards Teo, who looked very uncomfortable. "Teo, want to dance with me?"

"Uh..." Teo glanced at Zuko, who was glaring at Katara. "Maybe later."

She wished he had said yes, so that he would have whisked her away from Zuko before she succumbed to him. Katara covered her conflicting feelings with a bright smile. "Okay, well, let me know." She walked past Zuko and started to descend the stairs.

"Hey." A hand latched onto her arm, stopping her.

"What?" She looked up at Zuko with a fire blazing in her eyes, all attempts at playing it cool abandoned. "Let go of me!" She jerked her arm away from him, but he just tightened his grip.

"What's your problem?"

"Oh, just because I don't want to dance with you, I have a problem?" She tried to pull her arm away again, but he wouldn't let go.

"Why is it that you don't want to dance with me?"

"Why don't you go dance with Mai?" She shot back. She jerked her arm again, hard, and at that moment someone moving down the stairs pushed roughly past her. Katara found herself losing her balance and braced herself for the imminent fall.

But a hand grabbed hers and yanked her upright, slamming her into a hard body. She stared into Zuko's eyes, her chest rising and falling, her hand clasped tightly in his, and blushed at their proximity.

"I don't want to dance with Mai. I want to dance with you."

His words sounded so sincere, and he looked so serious, that for a moment she almost gave in. Then that smirk had crept onto his face and his hand had trailed over her back, and she remembered what all jerks like him wanted.

"No." She disentangled her body from his, ignoring his protests as she whirled around and rushed down the stairs. Once she was in the middle of the crowd and was sure she had lost him, she took a few shaky breaths to steady herself.

_God, he knows how to get under my skin_, she thought to herself, and began to search for her friends.

* * *

Toph and Katara danced together, hands clasped, bodies swaying to the music. Haru had left Toph to get her a drink, and the girls saw their oppurtunity to hash over the events of the night.

"Haru tried to kiss me while we were dancing," Toph confided in Katara.

"What!" Katara's face broke into a wide grin. "That's great, Toph, he's a _really_ nice guy."

"Yeah, I know, but.." Toph looked around, making sure nobody was listening to their conversation, and finding everyone absorbed in the music, she continued. "You know my kissing experience is none."

"Don't make it out to be harder than it is," Katara told her. "Just let him take the lead. Your mouth will know what to do."

"You phrased that terribly," Toph groaned.

"And don't forget the tongue dancing," Katara continued, laughing when Toph smacked her arm.

"Hide me!" Yue suddenly crashed into them, separating their hands and squeezing herself between the two girls.

"Um, we can't," Katara said, amused. "You're the tallest of us."

"You're hiding from Lu Ten again," Toph accused.

"You're hiding from Lu Ten?" Katara asked, mystified. "Why?"

"I don't want to talk about it now," Yue's eyes kept shifting from one place to another. "Oh no, he's coming this way." A second later, Yue was gone, and Katara and Toph looked at each other, puzzled.

"What was that about?" Katara asked.

"I don't know, she's been acting weird around Lu Ten all night," Toph shrugged.

Katara remembered Yue refusing Lu Ten's offer for a ride the night before. "I don't think it was just tonight," she said. "We'll have to get it out of her later."

"Yeah," Toph said, her eyes spotting Haru standing on the opposite side of the room, his eyes scanning the crowd, probably for her. "Haru is looking for me."

"Alright, listen." Katara gripped her friend's shoulder. "You look gorgeous tonight. Absolutely amazing. And Haru really likes you. Just be as confident in this as you are in everything else."

"Confidence," Toph repeated. "I can do that."

"Yes, you can." She smacked her friend's ass playfully. "Now, go find that boy and kiss him to death."

"I got this." Toph started to navigate the crowd, moving towards Haru. Remembering something, she turned and called back to Katara, "Thank you!"

Katara heard her and smiled. She mouthed the words _You're welcome_ and continued to dance, alone.

"Hey." She glanced behind her, seeing a cute boy looking at her. He was barely her height, his wide gray eyes and innocent air making him seem younger than most of the crowd here. He had dark, short hair, cut to nothing more than a buzz. She vaguely remembered seeing him somewhere. He smiled, and it occured to Katara that it was the nicest smile she'd ever seen in her life.

"Hello," she smiled back.

"Aang." He offered his hand, and she suddenly remembered seeing him around the halls in her school.

"I'm Katara." She took his hand.

"Yeah, I know." His grin grew. "We were actually introduced yesterday."

"Really?" If she had talked to him yesterday, she figured she would remember.

"Yeah, it was before we all went to the restaurant. I'm Teo's friend."

Of course, that's why she didn't remember talking to him. Her mind had been so occupied with _Zuko_ that she probably hadn't even registered their conversation. The thought of Zuko brought an angry flush to her cheeks, and she swore to herself she would not think of him again that night.

"Do you want to dance with me?" Aang asked her.

"Yeah." She grinned and spun, his hands planting on her hips as they began to move. At first, she was hesitant, because she had never danced with a boy like this, but Katara was a natural dancer and her inhibitions couldn't control her for long. The beat of the song speeded up and so did Katara, finding she had absolutely no problem with adjusting to the beat.

Katara's eyes suddenly stopped on a figure leaning against the wall opposite them. Zuko. Damn him for intruding just when she was starting to have fun. He was watching her and Aang dance, and a distance away from him stood Mai watching Zuko.

Katara tore her eyes from Zuko, suddenly determined. She turned so that her back was to Aang's front. She began to roll her body against Aang's, knowing how sexily she could dance if she wanted to. Aang's movements grew suddenly hesitant and choppy. Katara realized she was right when she'd thought he looked innocent; but she didn't let that deter her. She swayed her hips and spun a few times, knowing how she looked, and taking pleasure that one particular person was witnessing it. Then she arched her back and ran her hands down her sides. She could almost _feel_ Zuko's gaze burning into her now.

Katara suddenly felt the urge to look at him; just one glance, to see his expression. So she allowed herself that one glance, finding his jaw set and his eyes trained completely on her. His eyes were so intense; and although her common sense screamed at her not to do it, she shot him a seductive smile.

Her eyes immediately fell to the floor, her eyes burning, although she didn't stop dancing. She couldn't believe she had just smiled like that; given Zuko that invitation.

Katara was so deep in thought that she didn't realize Aang had stopped dancing behind her. She was just about to turn around when he was right back against her, pulling her close.

However, his movements were now smooth and comfortable and confident. His hands, which had been resting on her hips before, now gripped her and moved her in the way that _he_ wanted. She glanced down at those hands and smirked. They were not Aang's hands; they were bigger, broader, and the heat that permeated the material of her clothes could not be mistaken.

Katara slid herself down Zuko's body, then slowly rose up, grinding herself harder into him. He growled and gripped her tighter. His face was suddenly buried in her hair, and she could feel his hot breath on her neck. His lips traced her ear. "_Tease_."

* * *

Haru and Toph were sitting on the back porch, legs hanging off of the edge. After all of the dancing and heat inside the house, Haru had asked Toph to come out with him for some fresh air.

He'd needed it more than he'd let on. Though he'd only had one drink, he was starting to feel himself lose control around Toph. He didn't think that would happen; when he'd first met her, he wasn't interested in her. Katara was pretty- he'd registered that much- but he didn't normally take stock of pretty girls, potential girlfriends, or any of that, because his mind was set on _one_ girl. But that girl wasn't his.

Haru had started his spring break with the intention of purging his mind of _her_, of getting on with his life, of finding someone. And here she was. Toph was pretty, quite pretty; Haru now knew he was way off base with her. She was a great girl. Witty, clever, honest. The shirt she was wearing tonight only helped matters; her bare back, that expanse of pale, creamy skin.

With Toph, Haru thought that maybe- just maybe- he could turn things around.

"You having fun tonight?" He asked her. She was swinging her legs off the edge of the porch, almost like a child.

She tossed him a smile. "Katara and Yue seem to be having fun."

"I know they're your friends, but I didn't ask about them. I asked about you."

"I am having fun," Toph confessed. "So much more fun than I thought I'd have."

"You like parties, then?" Haru inquired, not having pegged her as the party type.

"I actually don't like parties at all," she admitted. "Maybe once in a while, but not every weekend or anything."

"So, you were having fun because of me?" Haru teased, though he really did want to know the answer.

"Yes," Toph said, although her voice was slightly more than a whisper. "I definetely had fun because of you."

The moment was perfect. Her eyes were half-lidded, and when she looked at him fleetingly from underneath those lids she did that _thing_, the both vulnerable and seductive look that only girls could manage. She was waiting for it, or at least a part of her was waiting for it. It would be so perfect to just do it, right now, right away.

Haru moved forward. He felt her move closer, too, till they were a breath apart. He turned his head; her eyes were closed. He leaned in.

And suddenly, he couldn't.

* * *

"Oh my God, I can't believe this." Yue had been walking around, searching for Katara and Toph so that they could all get home before midnight, and this is what she had stumbled upon. Katara and Zuko on the dance floor, plastered together and moving in a way that was extremely synonymous to sex.

Yue reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone, dialing Toph's number. She picked up on the fifth ring. "Toph, where have you been?"

"Umm... outside." Toph's voice sounded a bit dazed to Yue.

"Are you okay?" She quickly asked her friend.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine." Her voice was back to normal now. "I'm with Haru. What is it?"

"Well, we gotta go home, it's eleven forty five," Yue told her. "And I need you inside, _now_. There's something you gotta see."

"Oh man, I lost track of time." Yue heard Toph say something muffled, then a male reply. "We're coming in now. Where are you?"

"I'm standing by the wall opposite the stairs," Yue said, eyes fixed on Katara. "Hurry!"

"Be right there, Moony."

A few minutes later, Toph and Haru were by her side. "What's up?"

"Look over there," Yue pointed.

Toph looked in the direction Yue was pointing in, her jaw falling open. "Is that... _Katara_?"

"And Zuko," Haru stated matter-of-factedly. "Should've seen that one coming."

"What're they doing?" Toph demanded to know.

"Dancing," Yue answered. "At least, I think they are."

"Don't you girls have to leave?" Haru reminded them.

"Yes. Yes, we do." Toph determinedly walked up to Katara and Zuko. "Hey... Katara?" She tapped her shoulder gently.

Katara whirled around, surprised and a little embarrassed to find her best friend standing behind her. She began to pull away from Zuko, but his hands quickly encircled her waist and drew her back to him.

"Zuko, hold on, Toph wants to tell me something," she said, pushing his hands away.

"No," he growled, yanking her lower half into him.

"Mmm, Zuko, hold _on_." She slapped his hands away and turned to Toph.

"Oh my God, what the hell was that?" Toph whispered.

"I'll explain later," Katara promised. "What's up?"

"Well, we have to leave," Toph reminded her. "It's fifteen minutes to midnight."

"Damn!" Katara said. She turned to tell Zuko she had to leave, but his burning gaze deterred her.

"Can you just give us a few minutes?" She asked her friend.

"Sure," Toph conceded, seeing the look that passed between Zuko and Katara. "We'll be outside."

"Okay." Katara almost skipped back to Zuko, his hands immediately encircling her and pulling her into him.

"God, this shirt is so not fair," he breathed. "Every time you move, it drives me crazy." His hands trailed underneath said shirt, blazing over her bare skin.

"I have to go," she murmured as his lips trailed over her neck.

"No," he refuted.

"_Yes_," she said, giggling slightly. "Come on, Zuko, I really have to go."

"Toph can go, I'll drive you home," he mumbled.

"No, it's my brother who's the problem." She giggled again when he groaned.

"That's not fair," he complained.

"It is what it is." She threw her hands up in mock abandon.

"You're really cute," he said, moving his hands up and down her arms. "Even pissing me off, you're cute."

"Just cute?" They had stopped dancing, but she wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her body to his, simeltaneously swaying with the beat.

"Gorgeous," he corrected. "Sexy, beautiful, sassy."

She smirked, then quickly peeled herself off of him. "I really have to go now."

Zuko stepped foward and placed his hand lightly on the small of her back, a move surprisingly chaste compared to what they'd been doing. He leaned in, but she leaned back.

"Let me kiss you."

"No," Katara said firmly.

"But I've already kissed you here..." He lowered his lips to her neck, then up to her jaw. "Why can't I get a taste of those lips?"

"You haven't earned that yet." Katara pushed him away from her for the final time, but he pulled her to him again and kissed her, surprisingly, on the tip of her nose.

"I'll call you," he told her.

"I don't believe you."

"I will. You'll see." Zuko smiled a genuine smile, then gently released Katara from his grip.

With a final glance, Katara walked away from him in a sort of daze. She stepped outside the house, the air extremely cool compared to the heat inside.

Her phone buzzed. As she walked towards her friends waiting on the curb, she pulled her phone out of her pocket and read the text she'd just recieved.

_Dream sweet dreams of me, Ocean Eyes._

* * *

_A/N: _Pleease review!


	6. Currents

**Chapter 6**

**Currents**

_A/N_: Thank you for all the incredible comments on the last chapter! I'm glad it was so to your liking.

This chapter is more of a transition chapter, but I hope you enjoy it.

Lastly, if you haven't checked out my other work, it would be great if you did!

* * *

Monday morning; the end of the weekend, the start of the school week. Usually, Katara hated Mondays. Today, though, Katara could not have greeted Monday with any more enthusiasm. She dressed quickly for school, eager to see her friends after the insanity of Saturday night.

Bag slung over one shoulder, Katara hopped downstairs to the kitchen. She was not too surprised to find Suki, dressed in Sokka's shirt and a pair of shorts, standing in front of the stove, flipping pancakes.

"Morning, Ocean Eyes," Suki teased.

Katara slapped a hand to her forehead; Suki must have read her blog post from the night before. "Hey, Suki. Do you have to say that nickname so loud?"

Suki reached for the chocolate chips, tossing a handful into the pan. "What, afraid Sokka will hear?"

"Yes." Katara eyed the pancakes. "You know the chocolate chips have to go in the batter, right?"

"There's some in the batter," Suki defended herself. "This is just for... extra chocolatey goodness."

Katara chuckled. "Alright, if you say so." She put her books and bag down on one chair, then reached for a mug to pour coffee in. "Sokka driving me to school today?"

"If he wakes up in time," Suki answered, sliding the finished pancakes onto plates. "If not, I'll just drive you. I don't have class until nine anyway."

"Thanks, Suki," Katara said, as Suki handed her a plate.

"No problem." Suki took the chair beside Katara. "So... tell me exactly what happened on Saturday. I read your blog, but you have this vague way of writing..."

"Yeah," Katara nodded. She twisted her napkin in her hands. "Well.. first I was just standing there, and he asked me to dance. I said no. Then we were kind of fighting on the stairs and I was about to fall but he held me up."

Suki quirked an eyebrow. Katara ignored her, continuing. "Then I was dancing with this really nice guy, and I saw him watching me, Zuko, so I just... started to kind of seduce him."'

Suki nearly spit out her coffee. "What?"

"Relax! I didn't _actually_ seduce him or anything. We just danced together."

"Danced, like... a proper waltz, I hope?"

Katara couldn't help the laugh that escaped her. "No, it wasn't a waltz."

Suki lowered her mug to the table. "Okay, listen, I know I seemed kind of encouraging until now, and I think I still am because this guy sounds really hot. But I don't want you having sex at sixteen."

"Who says we're gonna have sex?"

Suki sighed. "Well, Katara, he's older than you. It's probably what he expects."

"I-"

Suki suddenly held up a hand, cutting off Katara's words. Katara looked at her quizzically.

"Sokka's coming," Suki whispered, then took a sip of her coffee. Katara nodded; Suki had perfect hearing. She took large bites of her pancakes until Sokka waltzed into the kitchen.

"Okay, stop playing it cool," Sokka said, filling his own mug with coffee. "I heard someone say 'sex' from the top of the stairs."

"Oh, just filling Katara in on the details of last night," Suki retorted.

"Oh my God... _ew_." Katara pretended to gag as Sokka leaned over the table to kiss his girlfriend. He lowered himself into a chair, his lips still glued to Suki's. When he finally pulled away, they both stared into each other's eyes for a moment, grinning ear to ear.

"Ready to acknowledge my presence yet?" Katara said casually, finishing up her pancakes.

"No," Suki said, still engrossed in Sokka. She laughed when Katara threw a napkin at her.

"So, you ready to go?" Sokka asked his sister, noticing her empty plate.

"Yeah." She rose from her seat, slinging her bag over her shoulder. "Don't miss us too much, Suki!"

"I won't!" Suki called back, as Katara and Sokka walked out of the front door.

"You have a crazy girlfriend," Katara told her brother, shaking her head.

"You love her," Sokka answered. He unlocked his dark blue truck and climbed inside, while Katara walked around the car to get into the passenger seat.

"Yeah, I do." Katara threw her stuff into the back seat.

"You're okay with her being around in the mornings and stuff, right?" Sokka asked.

It was not uncommon for Sokka to ask questions like this. Ever since their mother died, and their father became more absent, Sokka and Katara only had each other. Sokka, older than Katara by four years, had assumed the tasking role of both father and older brother. He took care of her and made sacrifices for her; those sacrifices included college, and time spent with Suki. Sokka was clever, and could have gone to Boston University, but he had chosen a more local school in order to live at home for Katara's sake. As for Suki, Katara knew her brother didn't spend as much time as he wanted to with her, and that he stayed at home during nights that could have been spent clubbing with his girlfriend. Katara wished he didn't sacrifice so much of his own personal happiness for her, and she rushed to reassure him now.

"Of course," Katara was quick to answer. "She makes amazing pancakes, even if her methods are a little unorthodox."

"Yeah," Sokka answered, a bit absentmindedly. Katara's phone buzzed in her pocket, and she pulled it out, flipping it open.

_Why are you ignoring me?_

Forgetting the presence of her brother, Katara groaned, tossing her phone onto the floor beside her feet.

"What is it?" Sokka asked.

"Nothing... one of my friends is being annoying." She used the term _friend_ loosely.

Sokka glanced over at her. "If that's a boy..." His voice lowered threateningly.

"So what if it is a boy?" Katara replied, equally as threatening.

"You know I have to know if you're going to date someone, right?"

"I'm not dating anyone, Sokka."

"Okay, okay, just reminding you of the rules."

"They're stupid rules."

Sokka slowed the car down in front of her school. "I just don't want some guy taking advantage of you." He reached over and ruffled her hair, making her growl.

"I hate you, Sokka." She reached behind her and retrieved her stuff, bent low to pick up her phone, then opened the car door.

"Love you too!"

Katara glared at him for a second, but the way he wiggled his eyebrows made her laugh. "Don't forget, I have cheer practice today so you don't have to pick me up," she told him.

"Okay," he said, driving away slowly. "Have a good day!"

Katara waved at the blue truck, then walked into school.

"I tried to call you," Yue claimed as soon as she caught sight of her friend. "Why didn't you pick up last night?"

"I don't know," Katara shrugged, avoiding her eyes by delving into her locker. "I was busy."

"Mmhm." Yue's tone indicated that she didn't believe a word of it. "You were pretty M.I.A. yesterday, considering we walked in on you and Zuko doing it on the dance floor."

"Shh!" Katara felt herself turning red at the mention of what she had done that night. "These walls have ears. The last thing I need is for people to start spreading rumors."

She was so engrossed in her conversation with Yue that she didn't notice the group of boys standing ahead of her. She was about to collide with them when Yue pulled her aside, but with that sudden movement, she bumped into someone's back.

"Sorry, I didn't see you there," Katara absentmindedly apologized, turning back to Yue.

"Yeah." The short response- or perhaps the voice- made Katara pause. She turned again, then wished she hadn't.

"Aang," she said awkwardly. "How... how are you?"

He nodded, the only acknowledgement her greeting recieved. "I'm good."

"Hey, Katara... Yue." Another voice broke in on the uncomfortable conversation.

"Oh, Teo, hey." Katara smiled genuinely at him, relieved to see the friendly face. "What's up?"

"Not much... gotta get to class." He clapped Aang on the back and nudged him forward, and Katara realized Yue was doing the same to her.

"Yeah, me too." Suddenly, she felt guilty. "I'll see you around?" She said it more to Aang than to anyone else.

But she recieved no reply. Aang stalked away, quickly turning a corner and disappearing from view.

"What was that about?"

Katara sighed, taking Yue's hand. "Come on, let's get to class."

* * *

"Okay, Katara, it's your turn to spill."

The three girls were seated at their favorite lunch table. It was Katara's turn to hash over the events of the weekend.

Just as she had this morning, Katara told her friends how the dance with Zuko had transpired. They listened attentively, hardly speaking until she was finished.

"You know what I don't get?" Toph asked, as bluntly as she always did.

"What, Toph?"

"Why you didn't just spend the rest of the night with Aang," Toph said. "You said he was cute, and he's way nicer than Zuko."

"Don't get me wrong, Aang is cute," Katara said. "And pretty nice, but it's just... not the same."

"How?"

"It's like..." Katara struggled to explain. "Zuko put his hands on me on the dance floor, and even without turning I knew it was him, because of how warm they were, and how they felt. And I only met him last week. That's got to mean something, right?"

Toph nodded thoughtfully. "I guess it does. Zuko's just... way shifty."

"Yeah," Katara sighed. "There's something else, too, that I can't get out of my head."

"What?"

"Mai," Katara admitted. "I mean, I get it, he's nineteen and he has exes. But at the mall, they exchange this long hug, then we catch them on a date, and at the party she just kept staring at him, and she wouldn't dance with anyone else."

"I think you're looking too much into it," Yue said. "For one thing, that dinner after the game may not have been a date."

"And Mai is boring as hell, so she probably just didn't want to dance at the party," Toph added.

"And he did explicitly say that he wanted to dance with_ you_, not Mai," Yue concluded.

"Dance with me, yeah," Katara said, frustrated. "But go out with me? I don't think so."

There was silence for a brief moment. Then Toph said, "You just admitted that you want to go out with him."

"I did not!" Katara said, indignant.

"You did," Yue teased. "Up until now, all discussions involving Zuko were only built upon the realization that he was smoking hot."

"But now you say you want to go out with him..." Toph trailed off.

"Oh, cut it out with the analysis," Katara laughed despite herself.

"Right, we were talking about Mai." Yue steered the conversation back to the raven haired, brooding girl.

"Maybe you should just ask Zuko if he's still into her," Toph suggested.

"I think I'm just intimidated," Katara confessed. "She's so pretty and sophisticated-looking and she's in college in New York and... I'm just this kid."

"Don't do that," Yue cut in. "Don't underestimate yourself."

"Who was it that told me that confidence was the key?" Toph raised an eyebrow.

"Alright, alright." Katara smiled to herself and took a spoonful of yogurt. "I'll figure the Mai thing out."

"Excellent, onto other subjects," Yue clapped her hands together. "Did Zuko call you yesterday?"

"Yeah," Katara admitted.

"He did?" Toph's eyes widened. "You left that part out."

"It doesn't really change anything," Katara defended herself.

"It seems like he's starting to keep his promises, though," Yue said.

Katara rolled her eyes. "It's one phone call that he made. It doesn't make him a saint."

"Alright, Sugar Queen, whatever you say," Toph assuaged her. "What did you say on the phone?"

"I..." She was suddenly very interested in her blueberry yogurt. "Didn't answer."

"Why not?" Yue groaned.

"You're one to talk," Katara turned on her. "You've been doing a lot more avoiding than me."

"She's got a point, Moony," Toph said. "You've been avoiding Lu Ten like the plague."

"It's not the same." Yue startled to fiddle with her nails.

"How is it not the same?" Katara asked.

"Well, for one thing, Lu Ten doesn't call me Ocean Eyes, and he didn't press himself all over me in a party," Yue said.

"He did show up at the mall, and at the game, and after the game, and he was looking for you at the party..." Katara trailed off.

Yue looked down, taking a huge breath. "He has a girlfriend."

Toph nearly spilled her Mountain Dew. "What?"

"It doesn't change anything," Yue insisted. "I wouldn't have done anything with him, anyway. He's way older, and I don't date."

"Yue..." Katara began gently.

"No. We're not talking about it."

Yue's tone was frighteningly final. Her two friends exchanged a worried glance, knowing Yue, and knowing that she would not act this way if it truly didn't matter.

* * *

Cheer practice was slow, as it always was for Katara. She hated being a cheerleader. She wished more than anything that, instead of waving pom-poms and practicing rutines, she could be at home, fueling her creative juices and writing.

Ty Lee called for a break. Although they'd just had one, Katara wasn't one to argue, and she ran over the grass to where her bag lay with the huddle of other bags.

"He's so cute." Katara picked up a whisper from one girl to another as she bent low to pick up her water bottle.

"He's Ty Lee's boyfriend, though," the second girl grumbled. Jet was here, then. That was probably why Ty Lee had called for the untimely break.

"Who's that guy with him?" The first girl asked.

"I don't know," the second girl answered. By now, they were not bothering to keep their voices subdued. "But, that scar..."

The girl pretended to shudder, and Katara walked away from them, her heart beating quicker. Zuko was here, too.

She made her way to Yue, who was on the other end of the field. Yue was grinning suggestively as she approached.

"You heard?" Katara asked her.

"Actually, I saw." Yue wiggled her eyebrows and jerked her head forward, indicating to Katara to look behind her.

Jet's beat-up sedan was the lone occupant of the parking lot adjacent to the field. Jet and Ty Lee were leaning against the car, appearing engrossed in a conversation. Zuko stood some distance away, his head turned in their direction.

"Why don't you go talk to him?" Yue suggested.

"No."

"I think he might be coming to talk to you, anyway."

Katara looked up, seeing Zuko step onto the edge of the field and walk towards them. Katara groaned. "God, now everyone is gonna talk."

"Since when do you care about that?" Yue inquired, eyebrow raised.

"I don't know." Katara bit her lip. "I just don't want more people to think there's something there when it's not."

"Trust me, it's there." Yue patted Katara on the shoulder as Zuko drew closer. "I'll go now."

Before she could protest, Yue walked away from Katara, waving to Zuko as she did. Katara stood, rooted to the spot, as Zuko took the few steps that would bring him to her.

"Hey," he greeted when he finally reached her.

She looked him over. "No snarky, overconfident comment?"

Zuko smiled slightly. "Nope."

"No shrugging?"

He was grinning now. "None."

"And you're not going to nearly hit me with a car, are you?"

"It's still early."

Katara couldn't help but grin; she bit her lip to control it. "Well, I think that's the first normal greeting we ever exchanged."

Zuko nodded, and Katara let her eyes rove over him again. Even in a simple black shirt and jeans, he was ridiculously good-looking.

"What are you doing here, anyway?" Katara asked, when she saw that he was picking up on her scrutiny and probably inwardly gloating.

"What's up with the ignoring me?" He turned her question around on her.

"I wasn't ignoring you," she lied.

"Yes you were."

"And if I was?" Katara turned her chin up. "First time being ignored, is it? It doesn't feel too great."

"No." His answer was short and clipped, and his eyes clouded over. Katara didn't say anything, though she felt as though she may have gone a bit too far.

"I'll let the ignoring slide," he finally said. "You did it for me. Now we're even."

"Even?" Katara echoed.

"Yes, even. It means we have a clean slate."

Katara stared at him, trying to gauge his sincerity. She hoped she wasn't wrong, but he seemed sincere. "Alright," she conceded. "But what are you really doing here?"

"I'm here to ask you out on a date."

Katara shook her head, appearing collected although her heart was beating impossibly fast. "Well, that's original."

Zuko lifted a brow. "Just let me take you out."

"Why would I?" Katara challenged.

"Because you're attracted to me," Zuko stated simply. "And I'm attracted to you."

"I'm not attracted to you," she immediately rebutted.

"Yes, you are." He only stared at her with his eyes of molten gold, and Katara knew she couldn't argue that particular point.

Katara swallowed, and said the most honest thing she had ever said to him until that point. "I honestly don't know how serious you are about me, or about the prospect of us... and if I were to take a guess, I don't think it's that serious."

Zuko sighed. "I don't know how serious any of this is either... not yet. Give me a chance to find out."

The gears in Katara's mind turned furiously. At last, she looked up at him. "No."

"No?"

"I will not go out with you." She whirled on her heel and walked away from him, a group of gaggling girls watching the entire exchange.

* * *

_Go out with me._

Katara quickly snapped her phone shut as soon as she read the text. Though she was adamant in her decision to not go out with him, the fact that he was suddenly so interested and insistent was somewhat flattering.

As she was walking down the path, headed for the double doors of her school, someone bumped into her with a loud "_Oof_!"

Katara turned, quickly steadying the person who seemed quite unsteady on her feet. It was Ty Lee. She was wearing sunglasses, although the sun was not too harsh, and a heavy pink sweater, despite the fact that the weather was quite mild.

"Thank you- oh, Katara." Ty Lee tried to smile, but it became a wince. "Sorry 'bout that."

"It's okay," Katara said, somewhat amused. "Are you alright?"

Ty Lee waved a hand dismissively. "Yeah. Just a little hungover." She held a finger to her lips. "Don't tell anybody."

"I won't," Katara assured her, even more amused now. They started walking down the path together, Ty Lee's hand resting on Katara's arm for balance.

"I hate this sweater," Ty Lee groaned. "It's so ugly. Ugh. I hate it."

Katara examined the sweater once again. "Right, it doesn't really look like... your taste."

Answering Katara's inquinsitive tone, Ty Lee said, "I get cold when I'm hungover."

"Huh." They continued walking, their pace relatively slow. "And.. and why were you drinking? Like, on a Monday night?"

Katara was sure it was a stupid question, but she was curious. Surprisingly, Ty Lee did not immediately laugh at her naïveté, but seemed to consider the question. Eventually, she shrugged. "My expectations were too high."

Katara said nothing, though her brows lifted, and Ty Lee went on after a moment. "I was disappointed. So I drank."

Right then, Katara's phone buzzed audibly in her pocket. Katara looked down at the bulge of her phone in irritation, but Ty Lee withdrew her arm from Katara's. "I'll let you get that. See you later."

And without waiting for a response, Ty Lee quickly moved away. Brow wrinkled in confusion, and a bit disappointed that their conversation had been cut short, Katara pulled out her phone. Oddly enough, it said the caller was Haru.

She flipped it open. "Hello."

"Hi." Katara pulled the phone away from her ear for a moment; Haru sounded very breathless. Or maybe there was something wrong with her phone's speaker.

"What's up?" Katara said.

"Iwaswonderingifyouwannagoout maybesometime."

Katara pressed her hand to her free ear; all she'd heard was a warble. "Sorry? I can't hear you too well..."

He spoke again, and much more slowly. "I was just... wondering... if maybe you'd like to... go out, sometime. With me. Go out with me."

Katara stopped dead in her tracks, just beyond the doors of her school. She was immediately nudged forward as students passed her, and Katara quickly made her way to a quiet alcove beside the nearest restroom.

"Hello? Katara?"

"Haru," said she, her mind struggling to wrap around what he'd said. "I.. I don't understand. Didn't you... and Toph-"

"No," he cut her off. "I mean, don't get me wrong, she's an amazing girl. But there's nothing there. I... I like _you_."

Katara shook her head, disbelieving. From what she knew, or what she _thought_ she knew, Haru was a good guy- and yet he was asking her out when he must have suspected how Toph felt about him. Not only that, but _his_ friend Zuko had just asked her out. He must have known that. Right?

Or maybe it was her fault for pushing Toph and Haru together, so adamantly. No; Katara shook her head again. It wasn't her fault. Regardless of what had transpired, Haru was definitely in the wrong. He was asking her out when he knew that regardless of the result, someone would be hurt.

Regardless. It was strange.

"Say something. Please."

"I can't," said Katara, somewhat breathlessly. "I _won't_. I'm sorry."

She snapped her phone shut before he could say anything else, quickly walking out of the small alcove and making her way to class. She pressed a hand to her forehead. She was definitely getting a headache.

Katara didn't expect her phone to buzz again, but it did; later that day, just as she was buying her lunch. Internally, she sighed. It was Zuko. He was _calling_ her now.

She wasn't sure if she could deal with him after the weird phone call from that morning, from which she had not yet fully recovered. She hadn't told anyone about it, though she was itching too. Toph was her first choice in these matters, but that, of course, was impossible. And despite how tempting it was to confide in Yue, she didn't- for fear that Toph might somehow sniff out the news. She'd ended up avoiding them both all day, simply unable to make eye contact with Toph.

Her phone was still buzzing. Deciding to get it over with, Katara flipped open her phone and brought it to her ear. "Yes?"

"I know you got my text this morning," the raspy voice intoned. "I gave you several hours to answer."

"The _answer_ is still no," she said.

"I'll make it worth your while."

The school bell rang shrilly above her. Inwardly, she sighed; she didn't get a chance to eat. "I have to go to class," she spoke into the phone.

"If you don't say yes in the next thirty seconds, I'm going to show up at your cheer practice today," Zuko said, almost a threat.

"No, you won't," Katara said, sounding sure but thinking that he may actually do it. She hoped he didn't; the girls on the cheer squad had barraged her with questions after witnessing her encounter with Zuko the day before.

"I will," Zuko promised. He was silent for a solid minute. "I'll see you in a few hours, then."

Katara flipped her phone shut, and a grin, unbidden, graced her face.

* * *

It was Wednesday afternoon. Zuko had kept his promise the day before. He'd shown up, overconfident and irritating as always, and simply hung around. Katara hadn't spoken to him, though she was aware of his eyes boring holes into her. This morning, she had nearly skipped school. The thought of avoiding Toph and Yue for another day was daunting. In addition, she was afraid that Zuko might show up again; or, more precisely, she was afraid that he'd bring his buddies. Specifically Haru. Katara still didn't have the slightest idea how to deal with that entire situation. But Sokka hadn't bought her half-assed excuses that morning, and so she was forced into faking smiles in front of her dearest friends for hours and hours.

Now, in the privacy of her room, Katara basked in the lack of pressure. She lay sprawled on her bed, perfectly bored. She had an impregnable writer's block, and was not in the mood to do anything productive.

Thus, when her phone rang, she flipped it open eagerly before even glancing at the Caller I.D. "Hello?"

"Hello."

Katara groaned; she should have known to check the Caller I.D. "What do you want?"

"I'm getting tired of waiting," Zuko stated simply. "We're going on a date tonight.

"I... don't go out on weekdays," Katara said, then cursed herself for the weak excuse.

"I met you on a weekday," he pointed out to her. "Gotta think of better reasons."

"I really can't go out tonight," she insisted, though she felt herself weakening.

"I'll just come over, then," Zuko proposed.

"Isn't that a little tame for you?"

He chuckled. "I'll be at your place at eight."

She realized he was serious. A little red flag rose up in her head at the thought of Sokka.

"Get ready for our first date, Ocean Eyes."

"Wait-" She started to talk into the phone, then realized he'd already hung up.

Katara sat up abruptly, weaving her fingers through her hair. There was Sokka to deal with- and clothes, and food- and figuring out some sort of entertainment- but, for a moment, none of it mattered. Only one thing did.

She was having a first date with Zuko.

* * *

_A/N_: As always, please review!


	7. Angel at my Door

**Chapter 7: Angel at my Door**

"Sokka?" Katara stepped cautiously into the living room, her hands clasped together behind her back.

"Yeah?" He barely turned to look at her. Katara groaned internally when she saw how focused he was on whatever game was playing on the television, then nearly lost hope when she saw the spread of buffalo wings on the coffee table.

There was only one thing that could drag Sokka away from a setting like this- or, rather, one_ person_. "Where's Suki?"

"School," Sokka replied, without turning his gaze from the television.

"Hmm.. You happen to know how long she's gonna be there?"

"No."

"Is she coming over later?" she asked, albeit a bit too hopefully.

At this, or perhaps at her tone, Sokka turned to examine his sister. "Why are you so concerned about Suki right now?"

"No reason," she was quick to say. "I'm just wondering if maybe you two are going out tonight."

"Why?"

"Just because."

"There is no_ just because_, Katara, why do you-"

"There's a guy coming over," she blurted out. She groaned internally, feeling her ears turn red. "Later. This guy, umm... a friend."

Now it was as though the game and the buffalo wings ceased to exist. Sokka turned completely so that he was facing his sister. "A guy? What guy?"

"Just this guy... a friend," she repeated lamely.

"Do I know this guy?"

"I don't know... probably not. He's really nice though." She nearly smacked her forehead with her palm at the use of the word _nice_ to describe Zuko; it was probably the word that fitted him least in the entire dictionary. "And for once, I'd like you not to insist on meeting with a boy I go out with before I go out with him."

"For once?" Sokka shook his head. "You make it sound like this happens every week. You've only ever gone out with one guy, and you went out with him once."

"Yeah, and when he came over you gave him a pat down!"

Katara grew further infuriated when Sokka started chuckling at the memory. "Sokka! Stop laughing, my humiliation isn't funny!"

"You're right, it's not." He quickly sobered. "And that's why I have to see this guy if you're going to start dating him."

"I don't know if I'm going to start dating him!" Katara exclaimed. "He isn't that serious about it!"

"What do you mean he's not _serious_? He's just messing with you?"

"No! No." Katara took a breath, realizing she was doing a terrible job of convincing her brother. "He just wants to come over tonight. What's wrong with that?"

Sokka sucked in a breath through his teeth. "Unless I meet him, it's a no."

Katara groaned. "Come on, Sokka!"

"That's my final answer." Sokka rose from his spot and walked around where she stood, fists balled tightly at her sides.

"Just say yes!"

"No!" He called back, and she heard a telltale crinkle of plastic, signifying that Sokka was eating something and was now beyond her reach.

Muttering under her breath, Katara marched up the stairs, her steps forceful and decisive. She grabbed her phone when she reached her room, punching in a number she knew by heart. Only one person could rectify her situation now.

* * *

Katara, once again, lay prone on her bed, just as she was before Zuko called. She had called Suki, and tried to persuade her to distract Sokka, but Suki had classes until midnight and would not be able to help her. She had then called Zuko, intending to tell him not to come over, but he hadn't answered her call.

Maybe this was for the best. After all, she hadn't exactly agreed to a date with Zuko- it had just happened. How much she wanted it to happen was irrelevant, she told herself. Besides- Zuko and Haru were friends, and both had asked her out. Katara wasn't sure if either one was aware that the other had done the same thing, and the whole situation made her uncomfortable...

So this was for the best. Clearly.

Katara was staring up at the ceiling lethargically when the door to her room opened quietly. Katara did not give Sokka the satisfaction of looking at him, choosing instead to focus on a particularly interesting splotch of paint on the wall.

"You know, you didn't even tell me this guy's name."

Katara felt Sokka sit on the bed beside her. She turned slowly so that she was propped up on her side, looking up at him. "Is that a yes?"

"No, it's an interrogation." Katara rolled her eyes, but had to suppress a smile. An interrogation in Sokka-land was close to a yes. "What do his parents do for a living?"

"What?" She glared at him incredulously. "That's a ridiculous question!"

"It's not ridiculous!"

"Yes, it is! You know that if Suki's dad asked you that question, you'd think it's ridiculous."

"Suki's dad isn't around," he shrugged.

"Neither is mine," she retorted.

"I'm not asking about _your_ dad, I'm asking about his."

She exhaled slowly. "I don't know what his parents do."

"What do you know about him?"

Katara sat up in the bed, counting off the points on her fingers. "He likes football. His cousin actually plays college football. His friend is in this band, and he's into archery or something..."

Sokka watched her expectantly. "Those are all things about his friends, not about him."

"Well, what do you want to know?"

Sokka scratched his head. "How did he ask you out?"

Katara groaned. "Sokka, don't be so awkward..."

"What? I want to know! I'm a guy, so I understand other guys better than you do."

She rolled her eyes, but conceded. "He was at cheer practice all week trying to do it, then he called me today and asked me out."

"So you met him at practice? He plays ball at your school?"

"No..." Katara wringed her hands nervously. "I met him when I was out with Toph, once."

"But he goes to your school?"

"Umm..." Katara tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. "No."

Sokka's eyes narrowed. "Where does he go to school?"

"You know, around," she shrugged.

Sokka slapped his palm to his forehead. "Please don't tell me he's a high school dropout covered head to toe in tattoos and piercings with a bunch of children."

"No!" Katara couldn't help but laugh a little at the mental image. "He doesn't have any tattoos or piercings. But he did go to high school..." She started to mumble. "And now college."

"What?"

"He doesn't have any children."

"College?" Sokka's voice rose steadily.

"He dosn't have any children!"

"He's in _college_!"

"Without any children!"

"Katara!" Now it was Sokka's turn to stare incredulously. "You're sixteen!"

"I know!" She had started to yell, but noticed Sokka's uncharacteristically steely expression and lowered her voice. "Come on, you were starting to say yes, don't change your mind now."

"Is he like, a senior? Does he already have his law degree or something?"

"No, Sokka, he's a freshman. He's nineteen... it's not that bad."

"_I'm_ nineteen," Sokka argued. "I can't imagine dating..." He trailed off, apparently too appalled.

"Of course you can't, I'm your sister." Katara jabbed a finger into his chest. "But don't act so high and mighty now. You had the worst crush on Yue when we were younger."

"I did not." Sokka's reddening ears betrayed him.

"You used to say that her hair is the color of snow and her eyes are the color of the-"

"_I did not have a crush on Yue_."

"Suki's younger than you," Katara pressed.

"By a few months!"  
"Please say yes, Sokka," Katara pleaded. "You know me, you know I'm not..._ airheaded. _and I won't let him take advantage of me."

"I know," she heard him mumble.

"Don't you trust me?" She asked, forcing him to look at her.

"I trust you," he conceded. "It's him I don't trust."

"You don't know him yet," Katara said.

"Neither do you," he argued.

"And I won't unless you give me a chance to." Katara shuffled herself closer to him. "Please? We'll just stay in the living room and watch a movie. That's it."

Sokka sighed, staring at her a spot on her bed for a long while before meeting her eyes. "In the living room?"

"Yes."

"One movie?"

"Yup."

"And I'm staying home."

Katara started to argue, but his eyes stopped her. She sighed instead. "Okay."

He turned his head to stare at the wall. She watched the indecision play over his features with tense anticipation. When he finally looked up at her, Katara bit her lip and smiled.

"Okay."  
As soon as the word left his lips, Katara launched herself into his arms, squealing. "Thank you, Sokka!"

She felt him patting her back. He mumbled something into her shoulder, so softly that she barely heard it. "It's so hard being a father."

"I know." She felt a sudden rush of overwhelming appreciation for him, and squeezed him tighter. "I know. I love you."

He squeezed back. "Love you too."

They pulled apart. Katara smiled, and Sokka answered with his signature grin. Without a word, he rose from the bed and left the room. Katara sat still on the bed for a few moments, the smile lingering on her face, momentarily overcome with emotions she could not name.

* * *

The doorbell rang at precisely eight. Katara glanced at herself one last time in the mirror; she looked presentable, she supposed. She wore a regular pair of jeans with a white shirt, loose and striped through with barely discernible lines of blue. Her hair was in a braid thrown over her shoulder. Her mother's necklace, as always, graced her neck.

Katara skipped down the stairs, processing relief when she noticed that Sokka hadn't rushed to answer the door. In fact, she couldn't hear or see him at all on the first floor. That was good, considering Zuko's unpredictability.

Katara gripped the door handle, took a steadying breath, and pulled the door open.

Zuko stood on the other side, his head lowered. He raised it when the door was opened, his hair falling away from his head, revealing his eyes. Again, she was shocked by the intensity of his scar; a part of her throbbed with curiosity, but that was definitely not something she thought he'd like to discuss on a first date.

"Hey."

Katara placed a hand on her hip at his quiet greeting. "You seem surprisingly sure I'm agreeing to a date."

The side of his mouth twitched. "I am."

"You didn't even let me give an answer on the phone."

He gestured with one hand toward her. "Doesn't look like that stopped you."

Katara glanced down at herself, then raised her chin. "For all you know, I could be heading out for ice cream."

Zuko nodded, humoring her. "May I come in?"

She fought a smile, opening the door wider and stepping back. He walked past her, his eyes roving over what he could see of the house's interior while he waited for Katara to close the door. "Nice place."

She stood next to him, crossing her arms over her chest. "Thanks."

"I like how.. open it is." He gestured with his hand and Katara nodded, knowing what he meant. The wide kitchen opened into the dining room, which was distinguishable from the living room because of the different flooring. The furthest wall from them in the living room was made entirely of stone, except for where a large fireplace was carved into the wall. Large glass doors embellished the second wall of the living room, letting in sunlight and adding to the feeling of open space. "There's hardly any doors."

"Yeah," Katara smiled absentmindedly. "My mom designed it."

"She's an interior decorator?"

She shook her head. "Just had a flair for that kind of thing."

Zuko nodded. "Do I get to meet her?"

As if from a distance, she registered surprise at his question. She didn't expect the cocky college kid to want to meet her parents. She was under the impression that it'd be something he'd try to avoid at all costs. "No," she answered, smiling sadly. "My brother's upstairs, though."

"Okay." Again, she was surprised at his quick acceptance. If he was annoyed, he did an excellent job of hiding it.

"So... want to watch a movie?"

"Sure."

Katara led him to the living room, where a flat screen television was mounted against the wall opposite from the glass doors. She gestured to the sofa, and they sank into it simultaneously.

"What kind of movie do you want to watch?" she asked him.

"Whatever you want," he answered diplomatically.

"Don't start with the suave and charming act," she said, and his good eye widened. "Come on, pick something."

"Alright... a horror movie."

"You're such a guy," she teased, standing and walking over to the stack of DVDs that stood beside the television. She pondered the selection for a moment, finally drawing out SAW and popping it into the DVD player.

Katara returned to the sofa, sitting next to him awkwardly. The movie began, and she focused on the screen, not shifting her eyes for a second.

"SAW isn't a horror movie," he said, after a while.

At this, she turned to look at him. "Yes, it is."

"It's not," he insisted. "It's just gory."

"What's the difference? Gory movies are horror movies."

"Not really," he shrugged.

She chuckled. "You're weird."

"I thought I was suave and charming a few minutes ago?"

"Not anymore," she teased. He smiled good-naturedly before turning his gaze to the screen, sinking further into the sofa, relaxing. Katara watched him for a few minutes, her eyes drinking in each and every feature. His jaw was rather angular, and his nose was straight. His skin was incredibly pale, creating a stark contrast with the raven hair that obscured the top half of his face. The eye that she could see from this angle, his good eye, was as golden as it ever was. She stared at him unabashedly, trying to determine from this angle if they really were contacts, though she had already done this before. Again, she had to concede that they weren't. And although he wasn't looking at her, but at the television screen, she could feel the intensity in his gaze. She was struck by how handsome he was; how he was almost _beautiful_.

And then he was looking at her. She immediately lowered her gaze, blushing at being caught. "You're staring."

"I wasn't." Katara looked up at him, finding him still staring at her pointedly, clearly not believing her lie.

"Alright, I was. I'm sorry." She didn't know why she had apologized, but the words had already left her mouth.

"Sorry?" His hand reached up to touch his face; the scarred side. "I see."

She suddenly realized the implication of her words, what he thought she meant. "No, no," she shook her head vehemently. "I wasn't staring because of... I was..." He was still staring at the floor, and she suddenly grabbed his arm. "I was staring because... I was trying to see if you were wearing contacts."

His gaze turned up to her. "Contacts?"

"Yeah." She winced.

The corner of his lips quirked into a crooked smile. "I thought the same thing about you."

Her eyes widened in surprise. "You did?"

"Yeah... the first time I saw you." His gaze roved over her face, paused at her lips, then returned to her eyes. "Your eyes are really blue."

"Well... thanks." She knew she was blushing, again, and she lowered her eyes from her face, frustrated with herself. Her eyes landed on her hands, still on his arm, and she pulled them away, tucking them underneath her thighs.

There was a long silence, in which Katara would sneak glances at Zuko and get caught, in which case she would lower her head or pretend to stare off into space or blush. Katara would sometimes catch him staring at her, too, and for some reason, that also made her blush.

"So..." she said awkwardly, hoping that instigating a conversation would cause her cheeks to stop burning. "Why don't you think gory movies are horror movies?"

"It's not that I don't think gory movies are horror movies," he began, tearing his eyes away from the screen to look at her. "I just think that it isn't the goriness that's scary."

"What is it, then?" she asked, honestly curious.

"It's what comes with the goriness," he continued. He looked away from her for a moment, and when he looked at her again something in his eyes was different. "All of it."

Katara stared at him. "Do you write?"

He didn't appear fazed by the randomness of the question. "No. Why do you ask?"

"That just.. it sounded like something a writer would say."

"Do you write?" he asked her.

"Yeah." Katara raised her knees to her chest, her feet now pressing into the sofa. "Every now and then."

"I'd like to read something."

She raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

He shrugged. "Yeah."

"First you're okay with meeting my family, and now you say you want to read my writing..." Katara shook her head. "If I didn't know any better, I'd think you really liked me."

He moved closer to her, and she was ridiculously conscious of his hand moving to rest on her knee. "Why do you think I wouldn't like you?"

"Well, everyone keeps reminding me that I'm sixteen," she said, though she knew it wasn't the real reason.

He seemed to know it too. "Toph is sixteen, and Haru is my age."

Katara blinked. "What does that have to do with anything?"

Zuko shrugged. "I know you're her friend and whatever, so I won't ask you to confirm it.. but I know she likes him."

Katara swallowed, knowing now that he knew nothing of Haru asking her out- but she wasn't going to say anything, no sir, because Zuko was tilting his head and staring, as though into the depths of her soul. "So I think it's entirely possible that you like me."

She shook her head, lip quirking. "No way."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Why?

"Because I'm not Toph," Katara answered simply. "And you're not Haru."

Zuko was quiet for a second. Then: "Your observation powers astound me."

She hit him on the shoulder. "Don't make fun of me."

Zuko chuckled. "I'm not! Really, that was a clever observation-"

He broke off into laughter as she continued to hit him, sitting straighter so that she could reach him better. Her hands slammed onto his chest again and again, and he tried to grab them, failing. Zuko reached underneath her and pinched her butt, making her squeal in surprise and giving him a chance to grab both of her wrists.

He pulled her hands so that they lay flat against his chest, his hands circling her wrists. "No more hitting."

Katara could feel his heartbeat underneath her palm, and she swallowed. "Okay."

She looked down, suddenly realizing that she was sitting on top of him. Her knees were on either side of his legs, her body resting on his thighs. "I'm sitting on top of you."

He looked down, as though realizing it for the first time too. "Yeah."

"I should probably get up."

His burning gaze dropped, suddenly focusing on her lips. "Um, yeah, you should."

Something about him then- the way he was staring at her or the warmth of his hands on her wrists or the way she could feel his heart pounding quickly or maybe the way he looked suddenly uncertain- caused something to come undone inside of her.

Before she could talk- and she was going to say something, though she didn't know what it was yet- one of his hands ran down the length of her arm, raising goosebumps in its wake. "You're really beautiful," he said, his voice raspier than usual.

"You too," she said. The words came to her lips without thought.

His jaw dropped slightly. "Me?"

"Yeah." She blushed. "You must know that."

"I don't know that." There was something honest in his voice, something that wasn't there when he was flirting or teasing, and she felt herself drawn to it.

"Well, you are," Katara said. "Despite what you think."

He smiled slightly, then hissed through his teeth as Katara shifted above him.

"What?" She looked down at him, concerned, then whipped her head to the side, her cheeks flaming with embarrassment. "_Oh_."

She disentangled her hands from his and climbed off of him hastily. Without looking back at him, she quickly walked to the kitchen and opened the fridge, basking in the cool air that greeted her hot cheeks. She couldn't believe she had elicited that... _reaction_ from Zuko- she couldn't believe she had allowed herself to.

"You want anything?" she called back to Zuko.

"Uh, yeah, sure."

"We've got Coke, Mountain Dew, orange juice, milk... some beer..."

"Coke is fine."

Katara pulled two cans of Coke out of the fridge, taking a few shallow breaths to steady herself. She closed the fridge and returned to the living room, hoping her cheeks had cooled slightly.

"Thanks." Zuko took the can from her hand. She avoided touching his fingers and sat down beside him, fiddling with her Coke and looking everywhere except at him.

"I'm sorry," she heard him say. "I shouldn't have... I mean..."

"Please don't... don't apologize. In fact, let's just not talk about it."

"Okay," he agreed.

"_Ever_," she added firmly.

"Fine," he said, chuckling a little.

She glanced up at him, finding him smiling slightly, and she took a sip of her Coke. He did the same.

"Ahem." A slight cough behind them alerted Katara to Sokka's presence.

"Oh." Katara quickly set down her Coke on the coffee table and straightened her clothes and her hair, as though they would betray her. "Sokka, this is-"

"Zuko?"

Katara froze, watching the silent transaction between the two. Zuko and Sokka were staring at each other with recognition, but it wasn't entirely pleasant.

Sokka's arms had crossed over his chest and his eyes had narrowed slightly, while Zuko had stiffened beside her.

"Hey, Sokka," Zuko's voice sounded strangely detached to Katara.

"You two know each other?" she demanded.

"We were in the same graduating class," Sokka answered, not moving his eyes away from Zuko.

Katara watched the two disbelievingly, not missing the palpable tension between them. "Small world."

Sokka nodded towards the television screen. "Great movie."

"Yeah," Zuko nodded. "Want to finish it with us?"

If she had looked incredulous before, now Katara was downright shocked. Her jaw fell further when Sokka nodded and moved to sit with them.

When she had recovered slightly from the surprise of the entire situation, she crossed her arms over her chest, downright annoyed. Zuko and Sokka were both staring ahead of them, though niether one of them was watching the movie. Katara sank back into the sofa and huffed, preparing herself for an hour of silence; there wasn't going to be any conversation now. She was sure of it.

* * *

It was ten thirty when Katara pulled Zuko out onto the front porch. Zuko and her brother had just exchanged their terse "good night"s, at which point Katara had yanked on Zuko's arm and practically dragged him outside, sure she was going to start pulling her hair out of her scalp if she had to endure their weird tension for one more minute.

"What the hell is going on between you and my brother?"

Zuko glanced at her, then averted his eyes. "We used to know each other in high school."

Katara rolled her eyes at how dramatically he posed his answer. "And by 'high school', you mean last year?"

Zuko nodded.

"Well... what happened? Why was he acting that way?"

Zuko shrugged. "Why don't you ask him?"

Her eyes narrowed. "Listen, my brother never acts the way he did tonight, so there's something big that you're not telling me."

"There isn't," Zuko said. "He's just being a protective older brother."

Katara shook her head. "There's more to it than that."

Zuko was frustratingly silent, staring at the porch floor. She stepped towards him, gripping his forearm, angry at the lack of response. "Zuko!"

"Alright!" Zuko sighed. "He knows things... about me. Things about me that are probably making him rethink letting you spend time with me today."

A cold shiver ran down Katara's spine as her mind went wild with ideas. "What kind of things?"

"Things about... girls.. and things about my family." She watched him shuffle his feet and run a hand through his hair.

"What kinds of things about girls?" Suddenly, she felt oddly suspended, as though she had been holding onto something and was just now forced to let go of it. "Things about you and Mai?"

"Things that are in the past," he said firmly. His eyes ran over her. "Please don't be angry."

Katara looked down, realizing her hands were balled into fists at her side. She relaxed them, then looked into his face, her gaze completely devoid of warmth.

"Am I just another girl, then?" She demanded. "Another toy?"

"Toy?" Zuko echoed the word with a sort of disbelief. His brow furrowed, and his mouth pressed into a thin line. "Nothing could be further from the truth."

"What is the truth, then?" She tried to make her tone forceful, but she only sounded imploring. "What am I to you?"

He stepped closer to her, and she took a quick step back. Pain flashed across his features at her small rejection, yet he continued pressing forward with small steps. Soon, he was in front of her, and yet he was still moving closer. She held her ground, though she was terrified, and her hands were shaking when he pressed his lips to her forehead.

Then there was a hardly discernable whisper against her skin. "Something new."

Katara barely felt herself nodding as he gripped her arms and pressed another kiss to her forehead, then to her closed eyelids.

"Goodnight, Ocean Eyes." It was the first time he said it to her in person, and if anything else could have set her heart thumping any faster, that was it.

Katara felt him take a small step back from her, and she was surprised when her hands reached out for him reflexively, missing his warmth.

"Night," she whispered, and she wasn't entirely sure he heard her. Katara stood on the porch long after he had slid into his car and drove away, listening to the beating of her heart and trying to translate it into words.

* * *

_A/N_: I hope you liked it!  
Fun fact: Katara's home is actually a description of mine.  
Review!


	8. Sweet and Low

**Chapter 8: Sweet and Low**

"Ty Lee?"

The perky brunette looked over her shoulder when her name was called, then smiled. "Katara!"

"Hey," Katara tried to smile back. "Do you have a minute?"

"Several, actually." Ty Lee flipped her hair over one shoulder and fell into step beside Katara. "I have trig right now, but I was intending to skip it anyway, because of what my horoscope was this morning. You won't believe..."

Katara zoned her out, hating herself for half-listening to Ty Lee's ramblings when the girl was about to be of help to her. After Zuko's departure the night before, Katara had burst into her house, intending to find Sokka and demand answers of him- but Sokka was silent behind his locked bedroom door. She finally settled fitfully into sleep, wondering what it was Zuko had meant-_ things about girls and things about my family_. The solution had come to her with the arrival of the first rays of sunlight at dawn; Ty Lee.

"... math in general. So, what was it you wanted to talk to me about, Katara?" Ty Lee seated herself at a bench, and Katara followed suit.

"Well, it's kind of an awkward thing to ask," Katara fidgeted. "But I need answers."

"Answers about what?" Ty Lee's eyes were bright and curious.

"Zuko."

The two syllabled word caused Ty Lee to stiffen visibly. "Oh."

Katara shook her head, dumbfounded. "What is it about him that makes everyone react that way?"

Ty Lee shook her head too, though it was in an almost sad manner. "It's not really him. I mean, most of it isn't his fault, the poor guy- though some of it is..."

"Ty Lee," Katara cut her off softly.

"Oh, sorry, I'm not being very clear, am I?" Ty Lee smiled apologetically and cleared her throat. "Did he ask you out?"

Katara nodded. "Was it really that obvious to everyone?"

Ty Lee rolled her eyes. "He did come to cheer practice three days in a row, and stared at you like a creep the entire time."

Chuckling, Katara tucked her hair behind her ear. "I guess he wasn't too subtle."

"No, he wasn't." Ty Lee was chuckling too. "I haven't seen Zuko so bent on someone since... well, in a while."

"You've known Zuko for a long time, haven't you?"

"Yeah." Ty Lee nodded. "I mean, I'm Jet's girlfriend, and he's Zuko's friend... and I used to be best friends with his sister."

_Things about girls and things about my family_. "His sister?"

"Yeah." Suddenly, Ty Lee's chipper demeanor was gone, replaced by someone who looked uncomfortable in their own skin. "You actually know her. She goes here."

"Here?" Katara swung her head back and forth, as though she would spot Zuko's sister immediately. "Who is she?"

Ty Lee gulped. "Azula."  
"Azula?" Katara's head was spinning. "Azula, the perfect-looking, insane girl who considers herself royalty?"

"Yup." Ty Lee nodded sadly.

Something dawned on Katara. "Hey! That girl burned my brother in his junior year!"

Ty Lee's brow furrowed. "Sokka's your brother?"

"Yes." Images were flying through Katara's mind- her brother being rushed to the hospital, the agony she had undergone while the people at the hospital attempted to reach her dad, and finally being allowed into Sokka's room- only to find a palm-sized burn on his forearm. She hadn't thought about the incident in years.

"Sokka was being so stupid about it," Katara said, more to herself than to Ty Lee. "He wouldn't admit to anyone it was a girl who did it- I had to drag it out of him."

Ty Lee smiled wryly. "I liked your brother. Almost as much as I liked Jet."

At this, Katara's head whipped to the side. Ty Lee laughed at her expression. "Don't worry. Nothing happened between me and your brother."

Katara didn't look reassured. "Nothing happened between Azula and your brother, either," Ty Lee added.

When Katara's expression refused to budge, Ty Lee tried again. "Nothing happened between Jet and your brother...?"

A laugh burst out of Katara before she could help it. Ty Lee joined in.

"Okay, okay, seriously, now." Katara tried to morph into somberness. "Do you think you know what Sokka might know about Zuko's family?"

Ty Lee's head tilted to the side as she pondered the question. "Well, Zuko's father is a Senator."

"Right, Senator Ozai." Katara vaguely remembered Azula bragging about that, forcing people to call her Princess. "He sucks."

"That's putting it mildly," Ty Lee agreed. "Then there's Azula... and I don't think you'd want to know anything about her."

Katara was curious. "Why?"

"She's just..." Ty Lee shrugged, suddenly looking dejected. "Just be thankful you were never mixed in with her."

Katara eyed Ty Lee, digesting how different she was when she was talking about Azula. She wondered if she was pushing where she wasn't wanted, but eventually her curiosity won out. "Why were _you_ mixed in with her?"

Ty Lee turned her face away from Katara, so that she could no longer see her expression. "When we were younger, it was Azula, Mai, and me." She paused. "That's just the way it was. Nobody ever questioned it. I guess Mai stuck around because Azula was popular, and because she gets bored easily."

"Not because of you?" Katara couldn't help but ask.

"Because of me, too," Ty Lee conceded. "I'm making Mai out to be way worse than she is- God, I'm being a terrible friend. Anyway-"

"And not because of Zuko?"

It was a moment before Ty Lee answered- and in that moment, Katara remembered Ty Lee's face at the restaurant after the game, when they had discovered Mai and Zuko together. She had looked more devastated than even Katara was- and Katara wondered about that. "Because of Zuko, too."

Katara nodded, and tried to fight the disappointment that was sinking in the pit of her stomach.

"Anyway," Ty Lee emphasized. "Things kept building up between us, and one day, Mai and I decided that we were done putting up with Azula's crap." She looked up at Katara. "Things were a lot easier after that."

"I want to know." The words were out of Katara's mouth before she could stop them. "I want to know about Mai and Zuko. I know it's your best friend we're talking about, but I have never felt this way about a guy and I just want to know everything I can about him. I don't want to get hurt."

Her words hung in the air around them, proof of her feelings that could never be truly erased. Ty Lee, in a sudden moment of tenderness, took Katara's hand.

"I can't tell you anything that will put your mind at ease," Ty Lee said honestly. "The truth is, Zuko isn't a predictable, safe guy. He's not the guy most parents wish for their daughters." She shrugged, almost sympathetically. "He had a really rough childhood. He has issues, and layers, and he's so complicated and broody and _Zuko_."

Katara took a deep breath and stared at the ground in front of her; Ty Lee was right. None of this was putting her mind at ease.

"But what I can tell you," Ty Lee continued. "Without feeling that I've violated any codes of friendship, is that Mai was never right for him."

Here, something in Katara's chest fluttered with hope. "They didn't fit together. They brought out the worst in each other, even though they didn't always see it. He was too passionate, she wasn't passionate enough." Ty Lee shrugged. "That's the way it always was with them."

Katara swallowed, glancing at Ty Lee's dark eyes. "Do you think I have a chance?"

"A chance?" Ty Lee raised an eyebrow. "You have a lot more than a chance. He's been so focused on scoring a date with you- he's never that way when it comes to girls." Suddenly, she laughs. "Why would he? Have you seen him?"

"Thanks, Ty Lee," Katara said dryly.

"I'm just saying, he's_ beau_tiful."

"So is Jet," Katara retorted.

"Okay, okay, point taken." Suddenly, a brilliant smile graced Ty Lee's face. "This was a nice conversation."

"_Nice_?" Katara scoffed. She had basically interrogated Ty Lee about her best friend's ex-boyfriend.

"Yeah. I haven't talked like this with someone for a long time." She bent over and picked up a shiny pebble, smoothing it between her fingertips. "I feel all smoothed over."

"I do, too," Katara replied. And she did. Her feelings were out in the open, and some of her questions were answered. Two weeks ago, she could not have imagined herself having this conversation with the bubbly cheer captain- yet, here she was.

"Hey, Katara?"

Katara glanced at Ty Lee. "Yeah?"

"Regarding Zuko," Ty Lee said. "Even with everything I told you about him, there's so much about him that I don't know... that nobody knows." She met Katara's eyes with her own. "I hope you're the person who finds out."

* * *

"So, you had a date with Katara last night."

"Mmhm." Zuko flipped the eggs in the pan, reaching for the salt. He and Lu Ten were eating a late breakfast in the house Lu Ten had grown up in.

"That's all you're going to say?"

Zuko glanced at his cousin over the kitchen counter. "I'm not a girl who talks about that shit."

"No, but you _are_ the guy who ditched her at a game because he was on a date with his ex-girlfriend, then went down with her at a party, then stalked her at her high school..."

Zuko did not bother to hide his scowl. "And you're much better?"

Lu Ten had no answer to that.

Zuko piled his eggs on a plate, then settled the plate on the counter and began to shovel the eggs into his mouth with a fork.

"You won't believe who her brother is, though," Zuko said between forkfuls of eggs.

"Who?"

"Sokka."

Lu Ten's eyes widened. "And you're sticking around?"

"Yeah," Zuko said, knowing he meant it. "I am sticking around."

"Buddy, what are you playing at?"

"That's the thing, I'm not playing." Zuko felt his ears turn red; he hated discussing his thoughts and his feelings. He thought they were better left alone. "Katara's different. She's nice and strong and... cute."

"_Cute_?" Lu Ten burst into a laugh. "You've never called a girl _cute._ You never even called Mai cute."

"That's because Mai isn't cute." He bit off a piece of toast angrily; laughter was what he got for divulging his thoughts. "She's lethal, she's the furthest thing from cute."

"But Ty Lee is the_ epitome_ of cute, and you've never called her cute."

"Don't use words like epitome so early in the day," Zuko groaned.

"Don't change the subject, cousin." Lu Ten raised his brows. "Are you going soft on me?"

"Shut up." Zuko took a sip of orange juice.

Lu Ten chewed on his sausage thoughtfully. "So what, are you two together now?"

"No," Zuko answered sharply, then quickly stuffed some eggs into his mouth. "I couldn't do that to her. Not yet, anyway."

Lu Ten's brow furrowed as he eyed his cousin with concern. "You aren't still..."

Zuko's eyes shifted. "So what if I am?"

Lu Ten's eyes, previously mirthful, now darkened. "You promised you'd stop."

"And I will," Zuko said quietly. "But I can't right now."

Lu Ten observed his cousin's stiff back, the set of his jaw, the determined line of his mouth. He could tell that Zuko was serious, and although he hated to do it, he knew that backing off was the best way to react at the moment.

"Alright," Lu Ten sighed. He flipped the newspaper open, eyes roving over it absentmindedly. "What're you up to today?"

"I have a few visits to make, actually," Zuko answered. "And the first one is to your dad."

* * *

The wooden door to the Jasmine Dragon was propped open when Zuko tentatively approached the tea shop. He stopped before entering, wondering briefly if his uncle would be mad at him; then he realized that it didn't matter if he was mad or not, he _missed_ him- and he knew the feeling was reciprocated.

Zuko stepped inside. The familiar, welcoming scent of crushed tea leaves and incense greeted his senses as he walked through the sitting area, his eyes scanning the room for his uncle. A few customers who had been regulars for years greeted him, and he waved to them in response. Not seeing his uncle anywhere, and deducing he was in the somewhere in the back rooms, Zuko opened the familiar side door and pressed on.

He soon came upon his uncle in one of the storage rooms, lifting a sack of sugar from the top of a few others. He grunted with exertion as he did so, and before Zuko could step forward and help him, his uncle dropped the sack and whirled around.

Iroh's face broke into a wide smile as he held his arms out. Without hesitation, Zuko stepped into him, embracing his uncle with a might he didn't know he had.

"I've missed you, nephew," Iroh intoned in his mellow voice.

"I've missed you too, Uncle." Zuko squeezed his uncle tightly, not realizing how much he had, indeed, missed him.

They broke apart after a minute, and Zuko saw that his uncle was still smiling. "How did you find me back here?"

"It wasn't hard, Uncle," Zuko answered, smiling. "You have a pretty strong scent."

Iroh frowned slightly. "If my scent is so strong, you should have been here sooner."

Zuko sighed; he knew this was coming, and he deserved it. "I know, Uncle. I'm sorry. I've just been preoccupied. But I should have come sooner. I really did miss you."

Iroh nodded. "I understand. Come, let me make you a special pot of tea; we'll sit by the window and talk."

Minutes later, the two were sitting at the front of the tea shop, gazing out of the window and sipping at their fragrant, hot tea.

"How's school?" The uncle asked his nephew.

"It's good. I'm doing well."

"Good," Iroh replied. "You will be someone important, Zuko. I know it."

"Thank you for the confidence, Uncle." He carefully kept the bitterness from his voice. His uncle meant well, but whenever he told him he would be _something important_, an image of Ozai's face popped into his mind- and he was adamant to be nothing like him.

"Is it school that's kept you from visiting me?" Iroh asked.

"No, Uncle, it's Spring Break. That's why I'm back in town."

"Is it a girl?"

Zuko felt his face heat up. "Have you and Lu Ten been talking about me?"

"No. You reaction tells me I was right, though!" Iroh grinned widely. "That was a good guess. What's she like?"

"I'm not going to discuss this with you, Uncle."

"Don't break an old man's heart." Iroh feigned pain.

"No, Uncle."

"Are you still with Mai? Is she the girl?"

"No!"

"Who is she, then?"

"Uncle, I won't talk about it." Zuko gestured to the cups. "Your tea's getting cold."

Iroh raised the cup to his lip and took a long sip. Zuko felt slightly guilty for his uncle's sudden silce, and quickly spoke. "I really am sorry I haven't visited you until now. I've been busy."

"Busy, eh?" Zuko felt Iroh's eyes studying him as he spoke. "With what?"

"It isn't what you're thinking," he was quick to answer.

Iroh's eyebrows rose. "I wasn't thinking that."

"Yes, you were." Zuko fumed silently. "I'm trying my best, Uncle. I'm trying to get out of it."

"Don't be angry, Zuko- it is my right as an uncle to worry about you." Iroh's eyes were full of concern. "Every time I see you, I worry if I'm going to see you again."

Zuko's anger melted away. He sighed. "I'm not angry, Uncle. But you shouldn't worry so much. I'm fine. I can take care of myself."

"I hope, for your sake, that's true." Iroh sipped from the porcelain cup. "Ozai has taken enough from us."

"This has nothing to do with him," Zuko quickly refuted.

Iroh only raised an eyebrow, disbelieving.

"It doesn't," Zuko repeated. "In the beginning, it did. Not anymore. It hasn't been about my father for a long, long time."

"What is it, then?" Iroh pondered. "Why are you still where you are?"

It was a long moment before Zuko found the answer. His eyes were conflicted and stormy when he looked at his uncle and spoke the painfully honest answer.

"I'm stuck."

* * *

Katara paused in the middle of the sidewalk to twist her long hair into a bun. Earlier, she had been glad for the warm weather, thinking it would make her walk home pleasant. Now, she regretted her on-the-spot decision, as she felt beads of sweat form along her hairline.

She was about to continue walking when she noticed a red sedan slow down beside her. As it pulled into a complete stop, she glanced inside the car curiously-  
-and quickly straightened her back and walked away when her eyes fell on Zuko.

"Hey!" She ignored his call and continued her brisk progress down the street. The car followed her at a slow, languid pace, and when she chanced a glance back towards the car, she thought that he looked amused.

"What?" she finally snapped.

"Just wondering if you needed a ride." Zuko's eyes fell from her face to the clothes that were sticking to her body, then he quickly looked back into her eyes, which were fuming.

"No thanks. I didn't need a ride from Sokka, I don't need one from you."

Zuko nodded, humoring her. "Of course you don't. It's just really hot out, and I was going to get some ice cream, and I didn't feel like being by myself."

Katara felt her anger disapitate as he gazed at her imploringly. She cursed herself for being so susceptible to his involuntary charm- so easily manipulated by him. "Oh really?"

"Yeah. I'm not really the brooding type."

Katara felt her lips twitch into a small smile. "I suppose I can make some time."

Zuko nodded somberly. "You'd really be doing me a favor."

"I would be." Katara returned the nod, unconsciously moving closer to the car. "I wouldn't want you to brood alone, anyway."

Zuko leaned over the passenger seat, and a second later the passenger door was popped open. "It's much more fun to brood together."

Katara slipped into the car, throwing her bag over her shoulder so that it landed on the backseat. She glanced over at him; he wore a satisfied smirk. "I'm not really the brooding type," she challenged.

He raised an eyebrow while shifting the car into Drive. "And yet, here you are."

She glanced out the window at the buildings flying past them, then turned her gaze to Zuko, whose eyes were focused on the road ahead of him. She took a breath. "Here I am."

* * *

"Oh my God, that's crazy!" Katara couldn't help but laugh in delight as she watched Zuko, her ice cream momentarily forgotten on the park table. "How do you do that?"

"I don't really know," he shrugged, his cheeks a bit pink at her enthusiastic reaction. He shook his head free of the staggering thoughts of her, his confident smirk returning to his face. "I've always been able to do it, since I was a boy."

He watched Katara's blue eyes grow wider as he did it again. He snapped his fingers together, hard, and a small spark ignited from the friction of his fingertips.

"Wow," Katara said again. "That's amazing."

"Thanks." He reached beside him and picked up his ice cream, taking a large spoonful. "They used to tease me about it in school, actually."

"I can imagine Toph teasing you about it." Katara's face broke into a grin as she dipped her spoon into her ice cream cup. "She'd call you Sparky."

"I like that nickname." Zuko returned her smile. "You know, _you_ should call me Sparky."

She shook her head. "Nah, the nicknames are Toph's thing."

"But you thought of this one," he argued.

"No way." Katara primly spooned some ice cream into her mouth, then continued when she'd swallowed it. "Calling you by a nickname implies that you're important to me."

Zuko rolled his eyes. "I doubt that everyone Toph nicknames is important to her."

"But that's Toph. I'm _not_ Toph, and I'm the one who thought of this nickname." Katara repeated his words with an amused glint in her eye. He knew he wore the same expression- he enjoyed their banter, their arguments over banal points. Zuko and Katara were both hardheaded and stubborn, and Zuko could tell this type of banter would become a regular part of their conversations.

"Come on, aren't I important to you?" he teased.

"Nope. Not at all."

He placed a hand over his heart in mock pain. She giggled. "Come on, Zuko, don't make me call you Sparky! That's Toph's thing."

"You're right," Zuko conceded, but before the victorious expression could grow on her face, he continued. "But I call you by a nickname, and thus, you're obligated to call me by a nickname."

"Toph doesn't do that. Nobody she nicknames calls her by a nickname," Katara argued.

He raised an eyebrow. "Didn't you just say you're _not_ Toph?"

Katara pouted, throwing her hands up in defeat. "Fine. You win this round, Sparky."

Zuko barely held back his grin. "Why thank you, Ocean Eyes."

Katara blushed and lowered her head, and what followed was an amicable silence. Zuko watched Katara spoon the ice cream into her mouth, his eyes glazing over as he slipped into heavy thought. He'd only just met her, and already he was looking forward to more banter and ice cream and dances and dates. He wondered why this was; she was extremely beautiful, she was smart, she engaged him in enjoyable conversations. But those weren't traits that were unique to her; many girls had them. Mai had a few of them, though her eyes weren't quite as wide and her hair didn't wave and curl in on itself so interestingly. Why was she so different?

The answer hit him as Katara finished her ice cream and threw him a completely radiant smile. That morning, he had told Lu Ten that he couldn't be with Katara yet; that he couldn't "do that to her". Then he had gone to see his Uncle, the one person whose very visage always reminded him that he could be someone honorable. And although he'd already asked her on a date, he knew he wouldn't ask her on another one for a long time... not until he was sure he was good enough.

That was what distinguished Katara from the others. Without even trying, without asking a single thing of him, she made him want to be a better person.

"All done?"

At his question, she turned her eyes up to him, nodding. He took the cup from her and hopped off the table, throwing it in the nearest trash can.

When he returned, she had her arms wrapped around her legs, her chin resting on her knees. "Thanks for that," she smiled. "It was some great rocky road."

He hopped onto the table next to her; it was her idea to sit on top of the park tables, rather than on the seat. "No problem. Glad you liked it."

Katara glanced at his nearly full cup. "Didn't you?"

He shook his head. "I actually don't like ice cream."

She covered her mouth in mock horror, which made him smile. "What do you mean, you _don't like_ ice cream?"

"I just don't." He shrugged. "It's so cold."

"That's the point!" She laughed when he shrugged again. "I can't believe you. I've never met someone who doesn't like ice cream."

He picked up his cup and handed it to her. "Want mine?"

She took it from him without a word and dug her spoon into the creamy chocolate. He couldn't help but smile when she purred with contentment, though he doubted she knew she was emitting that sound.

Katara eyed him quizzically over the ice cream. "What are you smiling at?"

He smiled wider for some inexplicable reason. "Nothing."

"What, did I drip some on my clothes or something?" She looked down at herself, then at the ice cream. "Are you laughing at me because of how much ice cream I'm eating? Because you know, I don't really want it, I'm only eating it because you weren't going to and it'll go to waste."

"Of course, that's why you're eating it." Zuko nodded, repressing an eye-roll. "Always doing me favors, Katara."

She met his eyes with her own, filled with amusement and some kind of... _appreciation_ that he didn't understand.

"So why'd you take me out to ice cream if you don't really like it?" Katara asked, spooning the substance into her mouth. "Not that I'm not grateful."

He shrugged; the answer was simple, really, but he suddenly felt uncomfortable. "You mentioned ice cream yesterday... so I just thought you might like some."

She raised an eyebrow, her surprise showing on her face. "You remember me saying that?"

He shrugged again. "I remember everything you say."

At his words, she averted her face from him, and he thought she might be hiding her blush. When she turned back to him, her eyes had softened. "That was really thoughtful of you."

He shrugged, again; then groaned internally. He was starting to annoy even himself with the typical reaction.

Katara finished his ice cream, and again, he took her cup and threw it in the trash. "You're very sappy, you know," she told him upon his return.

"What? Me?" He shook his head. "I've been reliably informed that I'm a jerk."

She rolled her eyes. "I may have thought so, a few days ago. But you're actually this big teddy bear with a whole bunch of soft spots-"

"Stop," He groaned. "Just stop, now. It hurts to even listen to that."

"But it's true!" She was laughing now. "You pick me up from the side of the road, buy ice cream even though you don't like it, throw away my food after I'm done, you got all shy yesterday when I turned you on, you call me _Ocean Eyes_-"

"I didn't get shy!"

"You did! You turned all _pink_ and bashful!"

"God," he groaned again. "Don't you hear the sound of my manhood disappearing?"

"I _do_ hear that. It's shattering into a million pieces."

He frowned, and she scooted closer to him, then leaned her head on his arm. "You know I'm kidding." He felt her hand trace the inside of his arm, till her fingers landed on his palm. "You're just treating me really well right now. You're being the perfect gentleman."

Something inside of him panicked. He didn't want her to expect more than he was ready to give her. "I won't always be, though."

To his surprise, she didn't lift her head away from him and launch into an angry tirade. Her brow only furrowed slightly as she nodded. "I know," she said firmly. "I don't know how I know that, but I do."

He looked down at her, even more surprised. "You're okay with that?"

"I think I am." She glanced up at him, and as always, her liquid blue eyes caused something inside of him to stir. "I think you're a lot more than you're letting me see right now."

He reached for her hand, buried somewhere between them, and squeezed it. "You really want to find out? To see... all of me?"

Zuko felt her nod quickly, return his hand squeeze. "You know I'm leaving tomorrow," he said quietly, sadly.

He felt her stiffen beside him. "What?" He looked down at her, puzzled, finding her eyes wide and her lips pressed together. "Didn't you know?"

"Yeah." She picked herself up, peeling her body away from his, and wrapped her arms around her chest almost protectively. "Toph mentioned it."

He could see through her lie, and cursed himself inwardly for his stupidity. "I didn't tell you."

"No, you didn't." Her blue eyes were steely when she turned them to him.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I thought... I figured you knew." It hurt him when she didn't meet his eyes. "Katara, it was just spring break."

"So that's what it was then?" Her voice rose an octave. "Your 'just spring break' fling?"

"Stop doing that. You know it's not true."

"I don't know anything of the sort!" Her shoulders squared as her hands curled into angry fists. "You haven't done anything to show me that I'm something different, something _new_!"

He blinked as his words were thrown back in his face. Suddenly, he was angry too. "I don't get what you want from me!"

She hopped off the table, brushing her hands off on her jeans. "No, you're right, I don't want anything from you." She shook her head, smiling bitterly, though her eyes were wet. "I just met you, and we went on one date. This-" She held up a hand, gesturing between them. "This is nothing, less than nothing."

He jumped off the table. "You're the one saying that we're nothing, repeating it over and over, but _I'm_ the one who did something wrong?"

"Yes!" She whirled on him suddenly, jamming a finger into his chest. "You're the one who's leaving!"

His anger melted away as he absorbed the obvious hurt in her eyes. "Katara, I have school. It's not like I _want_ to leave."

"It doesn't make a difference." She shrugged in defeat. "Either way, you're_ there_ and not here."

"Katara..." He racked his brain for words that would eradicate the defeated shrug, words that would make her purr the way the ice cream had. "I don't know what you want me to say. I don't know what words will make this right."

"Nothing will. Words can't do anything right now."

He touched her arm, and she jerked away, her eyes flaming again. "Goddamn it, I was just starting to be okay with this, with_ you_, I just starting to accept that I like you more than I've ever liked anyone, that I want-"

Her next words were swallowed by Zuko as he breached the small distance between them and kissed her.

His lips lingered on hers for a moment, unsure, as if he'd never kissed someone before. The muscles in Katara's forearms underneath his hands were tense at his forwardness, but she eventually gave in and leaned forward the slightest bit. It was all the invitation Zuko needed; he pressed forward, running his tongue across her bottom lip, delighting in her tiny shudder. His hands glided down her arms to rest on her sides, then he wrapped them around her, pressing her body harder into his. Katara's own hands were in his hair; her breathing was irregular as he slanted his head to move into the intense kiss.

After an impossibly long minute, Zuko pulled away, though it was arguably the hardest thing he ever had to do. Katara's eyes stayed averted from him, downcast, as he hooked a finger underneath her chin and tugged gently.

"Look at me."

She did, turning her impossibly beautiful eyes up to him shyly. He smiled. "I like you more than I've ever liked anyone, too."

Though her cheeks were pink and her lips were slightly swollen from him, she gave him a cheeky grin. "Judging by that kiss, you've been waiting to say that for a while."

"Guess I have," he murmured, as he grasped her arms and spun her around, pinning her onto the table as he climbed over her and his mouth plundered hers.

His hands gripped her hips as he pushed himself closer to her, a groan escaping him at the friction.

"You should stop," she gasped, before pushing her mouth against his.

"Yeah," he agreed, his hands running up and down her sides as he deepened the kiss.

"Zuko, really." Katara was giggling when he rested his forehead against hers, breathing heavily.

"You're important to me," Zuko said, and Katara's eyes filled with tenderness in response. He reached up a hand and cupped the side of her face, hoping to instill the words into her, swearing he will uphold them. "I'll prove it to you. I promise."

Katara closed her eyes and nodded, her hand snaking up his neck and into his hair to pull his face to hers again. This kiss was gentle. "I'm sorry I said that we were nothing," she murmured quietly against his lips. "I didn't mean that."

"I know," he answered her. Compelled by the jump of her pulse in her throat, he leaned down, pressing a kiss against her neck.

"Mmmm," she purred. "You know, I'm surprised there aren't _sparks_ everywhere, if you know what I mean, Sparky."

He laughed against her throat. "You're funny."

She traced the line of his jaw with a fingertip. "You're sweet."

He pressed a slight kiss to her temple; a brush of lips across her skin. "You're beautiful."

Something buzzed against her thigh, interrupting the moment. Her face split into a grin. "Is that your phone, or am I a better kisser than I thought I was?"

"Both," he admitted, reaching between them to pull his phone out of his pocket. His eyes quickly scanned a text. "It's Lu Ten. He's wondering where I am."

"Oh." She bit her lip. "Do you have to go?"

How could he, when she was looking at him like that? He put his phone on the table beside him, bending down to kiss her again. "No."

Zuko felt her smile against his lips. "So we can stay for a while?"

He kissed the corners of her mouth. "That's the plan, Ocean Eyes."

Her eyes softened as she pulled him to her again. His lips moved over hers in a rhythm that was becoming natural, his hands planting themselves at her sides, then on her hips, her hands fisting in his hair, then exploring the broad span of his shoulders. On impulse, she bit his bottom lip. "I like that plan."

* * *

_A/N_: Please review! :)


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